Gas Production/Supplies
Trade and Industry
Written answers and statements, 28 November 2005
John Hemming (Birmingham, Yardley, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will assess the merits of stipulating a requirement for gas wholesalers to contract for a minimum supply percentage from outside the UK's own resources to guarantee supply levels through interconnectors and liquid natural gas shipments.
Malcolm Wicks (Minister for energy, Department of Trade and Industry; Croydon North, Labour)
The regulatory/commercial framework for the gas supply industry, overseen by Ofgem, gives strong financial incentives for companies to have sufficient gas supplies, on a day-by-day basis, to meet their contractual commitments. It is in companies' interests to source gas supplies from a diverse range of sources and supply routes.