HC Deb 27 January 1986 vol 90 cc632-3
5. Mr. Stern

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what are the projected figures for nuclear generated electricity for 1986 and 1996.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy (Mr. Alastair Goodlad)

No precise projection is possible. The proportions of electricity supplied by the public supply system in the United Kingdom from nuclear power stations could rise to about 25 per cent. when the nuclear stations presently under construction or commissioning are fully operational around the end of the decade. The figures for later years will depend on a number of factors, including the outcome of the Sizewell inquiry.

Mr. Stern

Does my hon. Friend agree that in any advanced society the need for the cheapest possible source of electric power is paramount and that, therefore the result of the Sizewell inquiry will have a major bearing on the future of cheap electricity and of the industry on which it is based?

Mr. Goodlad

Yes, Sir.

Mr. D. E. Thomas

Do the Government accept the recent independent forecast on European nuclear capacity, which was published in the Financial Times, that only one new station would be commissioned and working by the end of the century? Is the Minister aware that 1,000 jobs in the Meirionnydd constituency depend on whether Magnox stations will be replaced?

Mr. Goodlad

I note the hon. Gentleman's comment on his constituency. I shall look at the article to which he referred.

Mr. Kenneth Carlisle

If we doubled the supply of electricity generated from nuclear power, how much cheaper would electricity be for industry?

Mr. Goodlad

The Central Electricity Generating Board estimates the cost of possible new stations to be as follows: Sizewell B, 2.94p per kilowatt hour; a new AGR, 3.67p per kilowatt hour; and a new coal station, 4.29p per kilowatt hour. Those figures assume a 5 per cent. discount rate and costs relating to the lifetime of the plants at March 1984 prices. On the basis of that information, my hon. Friend will be able to make the necessary calculation.

Mr. Orme

As the outcome of the Sizewell inquiry will be important to the calculations of the Under-Secretary of State, when will we receive that report?

Mr. Goodlad

The timing of the report is a matter for the inspector. He has informed my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State that, following a recent review of progress, he does not now expect to be able to deliver his main recommendations until the spring.