Gas Production/Supplies
Trade and Industry
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.