§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the UK's total installed electricity generating capacity is; what the maximum daily peak demand for electricity is; and what proportion of this is met by(a) nuclear power generation and (b) energy from renewable sources. [85106]
§ Mr. WilsonFigures published in the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics, 2002 and on the DTI Energy Statistics website show that at the end of December 2001 total UK generating capacity in declared net capacity terms (DNC) was 79,553 MW, of which 73,219 MW was owned by major power producers and 6,334 MW by other generators. The simultaneous maximum load met by major power producers in the UK in the winter of 2001–02 was 58,589 MW in January 2002. An analysis of which plant were in use at the time of this maximum demand is not available. However, of the 79,553 MW of UK generating capacity, 16 per cent, was nuclear, 2 per cent, was natural flow hydro and 1 per cent, was renewables other than hydro.