Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 3:00 pm on 11 September 2003.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Science and Innovation), Department of Trade and Industry, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Trade and Industry) (Science and Innovation)
3:00,
11 September 2003
My Lords, clear projections of what could be done were set out in the white paper. There may be differing views as to whether, for example, it is possible to get 10 per cent renewables, but there is no doubt that it is a possibility, and we think we should pursue that first. There is no question that it can be done.
That is a separate issue from the amount of spare capacity that we should have in the system. We had 28 per cent before NETA came in. Everyone will agree that that is substantially more than what is required. What is required is probably spare capacity of between 15 and 20 per cent. It is interesting that prices for 2004—forward prices—have gone up substantially. Peak prices are up 40 per cent, and the baseline is up by 25 per cent. That is having exactly the impact on the market that one would expect. We are not now seeing closures; on the contrary, we are seeing capacity come back into the system. That is encouraging.
A document issued by the Government laying out its policy, or proposed policy, on a topic of current concern.Although a white paper may occasion consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. This is a contrast with green papers, which are issued less frequently, are more open-ended and may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation.
More from wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper