Examination of witnesses (Questions 274
- 279)
TUESDAY 7 DECEMBER 1999
MR EDWARD
HYAMS, DR
NIGEL BURDETT,
DR BRIAN
COUNT and DR
JOHN MCELROY
Chairman
274. Good morning. Can I welcome you to the
first session of our inquiry into the Environment Agency. Could
I ask you, gentlemen, to identify yourselves for the record, please?
(Dr Count) I am Brian Count, Managing Director of
the UK Business for National Power.
(Dr McElroy) I am John McElroy, Environmental Adviser
for the UK Business within National Power.
(Mr Hyams) I am Edward Hyams. I am President of TXU
Europe Power, formerly known as Eastern Generation, where I was
formerly known as the Managing Director.
(Dr Burdett) Nigel Burdett, Environment Manager, TXU
Europe Power.
275. Thank you very much. Now, do any of you
want to say anything by way of introduction or are you to happy
to go straight to questions?
(Mr Hyams) If I may, Chairman, I would quite like
to say one or two things very briefly.
276. Briefly.
(Mr Hyams) Firstly, we are very pleased to be asked
to give evidence. We do recognise that environmental issues are
very critical to our business and so the way the EA manages and
operates its affairs is crucial. We do recognise and accept the
need for effective environmental regulation and we are keen to
play our part in moving towards a more sustainable development
and looking towards what we would like to see as more joined up
thinking and more of an integrated approach. So our concerns are
not so much about the high level policies of the EA but more in
the manner of delivery and the management systems and the way
in which decisions are delivered or not delivered on the ground
and the way that impacts on business.
(Dr Count) Chairman, we are happy for our evidence
to rest as it is.
Mr Cummings
277. The Trade and Industry Select Committee
published a report last year on coal. The Select Committee was
highly critical of the Agency. Do you believe the Agency has responded
adequately to those criticisms?
(Dr Count) If I could just start on that. We think
that the Agency really is not quite leaving the best decisions
to the industry and I think they are being very prescriptive.
If I can give a few examples. We have changed the basis of the
1996 power station authorisation limits and, whilst the overall
aim of the Environment Agency has remained the same, we are still
finding that they are trying to second guess the electricity market
and that is going to be a very difficult issue with fuel policy,
particularly in the light of the market change with the new energy
trading arrangements. The other example I would quote is prescribing
that FGD has to have 90 per cent abatement. I think if the industry
was left to meet the overall environmental targets of continuous
improvement and sustainability it could come up with more innovative
solutions technically and perhaps innovative fuel solutions which
would be to the advantage of the customer.
278. Do you have a proven track record to substantiate
the statement?
(Dr Count) We know there are technologies available
which remove less than 90 per cent of the sulphur which are substantially
less costly to install and we know there is a range of sulphur
content coals in the UK which we could use. I think there is sufficient
evidence.
279. I am saying do you have a track record?
(Dr Count) I believe we have a track record of improving
the environment and the figures that we have published in our
annual Environmental Performance Review show for themselves that
given the opportunity to innovate, we produce substantial environmental
improvements.
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