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Energy Bill

I cannot speak to the detail of the amendment, but fundamentally it is very sensible and we ought to do something along these lines. It is unfortunate that methane is flared off, but we have to bear in mind that methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than CO2—depending on the circumstances, somewhere between 20 and 60 times more potent. Therefore, if there is no way of using it locally, it is much better for the methane to be flared off rather than allow it to escape directly into the atmosphere. However, at root I agree completely with the noble Lord, Lord Jenkin. It is sensible to trap coal bed methane—biomethane—not only for environmental reasons but also because it is a valuable source of power. The thing about coal bed methane is that it continuously seeps into the atmosphere in a diffuse way. If we were to take steps to trap it and pipe it up from underground, we would get a double benefit by reducing the national greenhouse gas burden and acquiring an extra source of energy. I hope very much that something can be done in this general direction.