CONFIDENTIAL
I ASKED SIR LAWRENCE ABOUT HIS SUGGESTION TO THE PRIME MINISTER THAT THE PROJECT BE LINKED WITH COAL PURCHASES FROM CHINA. HE ACCEPTED THAT THERE WOULD BE FORMIDABLE TRANSPORT PROBLEMS EVEN IF THE CHINESE WERE ABLE TO INDICATE THEIR WILLINGNESS TO SUPPLY COAL WITHIN THE TIME SCALE SET BY CLP'S NEED TO PLACE ORDERS BY THE END OF 1977. THE CHINA CARD WAS SUGGESTED AS PART OF THE SMOKESCREEN TO CONCEAL THE LIKELY PRICE DIFFERENTIALS BOTH SIR LAWRENCE AND WEEDON CONSIDER THAT OFFERS TO PROVIDE NEW TRANSMISSION EQUIPMENT AND THE NEW CLP PUMP STORAGE ARE MORE IMMEDIATELY RELEVANT IN TERMS OF AN OVERALL BRITISH ENERGY PACKAGE. 1 SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD LET ME KNOW WHETHER YOU REQUIRE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT ANY OF THE ABOVE SCHEMES WHICH IS NOT ALREADY AVAILABLE FROM GEC IN LONDON.
6. STONES, CHIEF ENGINEER OF CLP, WHO PERSUADED SIR LAWRENCE TO AIM FOR A NEW STATION RATHER THAN THE ADDITION OF TWO TURBINES TO THE EXISTING TSING YI PLANT IS IN AUSTRALIA FOR A WEEK (REPORTEDLY EXAMINING THE SUCCESS OF GEC'S BID FOR THE MELBOURNE STATION) BUT I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TO VISIT TSING YI WITH HIM ON HIS RETURN.
MARCH
FILES
HKGD
FED
TRED
FRD
PS
PS/MR. JUDD
PS/LORD GORONWY ROBERTS PS/PUS
MR.CORTAZZI
MR.BUTLER
MR.MURRAY
3
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HONG KONG POWER STATION
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MR, KEMP
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