To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arrangements have been made to deal with the heavy and additional intermittent workload that will occur on the grid as a result of additional wind turbines in Wales; what progress has been made in implementing these arrangements; and if he will make a statement. (89922)

Responsibility for making arrangements for accommodating wind generation wishing to connect to the grid network in Wales lies with the distribution network operators, SP Manweb and Western Power Distribution, and the National Grid Company. However, the DTI, in conjunction with Ofgem, established the Transmission Working Group (and its predecessor the Transmission Issues Working Group) to monitor progress in identifying and delivering GB-wide grid infrastructure upgrades necessary to accommodate the Government's renewable targets. The DTI is also working closely with the National Grid Company on studies to review the future performance of GB Transmission system with a renewable generation capacity commensurate with achievement of these targets. I hope that the outcome of these studies will be available early in the new year.