Written question asked by Sue Doughty (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 26 April 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 9 May 2002. It was answered by Brian Wilson (Labour) on Thursday, 9 May 2002 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the impact on carbon dioxide emissions of the exemption from the Climate Change Levy of electricity from electricity from coal mine methane sold via licensed electricity suppliers.

Answer: Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact on carbon dioxide emissions of the exemption from the climate change levy of electricity from electricity from coal mine methane sold via licensed electricity suppliers. [53732] Mr. Wilson: Using methane from abandoned mines will reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere and therefore has a significant environmental benefit. The scale of the environmental benefit cannot be precisely quantified at present, because the effect of pumping the gas leads to some acceleration in the extraction rate beyond the level of natural leakage from abandoned mines. Work is in hand to inform these estimates.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 53732; 385 c280W
Session: 2001-02
Subjects: Coal Carbon dioxide Climate change levy Electricity generation Electricity Exemptions Markets Methane
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk