Clause 93 - Competitive tenders for offshore transmission licences
Energy Bill [Lords]
4:00 pm
Mr Stephen Timms (Minister of State (e-Commerce & Competitiveness), Department of Trade and Industry; East Ham, Labour)
The hon. Gentleman raises a fair point. The round two wind farm developers are gathering the necessary information to apply for consents for construction. We are expecting generation to come on stream by 2007-08 and be completed over seven or eight years. I agree with him that the programme of activity must be carefully matched with the programme to provide the connections infrastructure. One benefit of identifying three specific areas around the coast is that the need for connections will be tightly concentrated. We are working closely with Ofgem to ensure that that programme is in place so that developers can connect up. I agree with him that that must be built in to the way that we move forward.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 93 ordered to stand part of the Bill.