§ 5. Mr. Oliverasked the Minister of Power what factors decided him in a recent case to authorise capital expenditure by the Central Electricity Authority on a nuclear, rather than a conventional, power station; what consideration he gave to the availability of coal for the purpose; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GeorgeI would refer the hon. and learned Member to the White Paper "The Nuclear Power Programme" published in June, 1960.
§ Mr. OliverDoes that convey all that this Question implies? I have forgotten the principal provisions of the White Paper.
§ Mr. GeorgeAs the White Paper made clear, the demand for fuel for electricity generation is continually increasing. In the long run we shall therefore need increasing supplies of nuclear power. In about ten years' time it should be cheaper to generate base load in nuclear stations than in conventional stations, provided that we achieve the technological progress that we expect. To secure this we must continue to build nuclear stations on an adequate scale.