Geothermal Power (Hansard, 27 October 1986)

§ 3. Mr. Maples
asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement about his Department's support for geothermal power.

§ Mr. David Hunt
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy announced in June that the hot dry rock 6 project in Cornwall is being extended for a further two years at an additional cost of £5.85 million. A further £1 million has been allocated to related support work.
A major review of the technology will take place next year. An important input will be an assessment of the commercial viability. I am placing in the Libraries of both Houses copies of a report on the economics by Dr. Shock of the energy technology support unit.

§ Mr. Maples
My hon. Friend's statement is most welcome. Can he assure the House that so long as the research continues to be successful the Government will follow through the project to the commercial exploitation stage, and can he say when that might be?

§ Mr. Hunt
My hon. Friend is right to stress the need for proper evaluation towards commercial exploitation. I am pleased to announce to the House that both RTZ and Taylor Woodrow are now involved in the project. I hope that other United Kingdom companies will participate in this challenging venture. It will be necessary to take major decisions next year and I hope that the necessary preparatory work will have been done by then.

§ Dr. Michael Clark
Is there a real hope that geothermal energy will provide a substantial amount of the country's energy needs? Many people place store on alternative sources, believing them to be infinite and large. How large is that alternative source likely to be, is it economically viable and will it make a significant contribution to the country's energy needs in the next century?

§ Mr. Hunt
We hope that a commercial prototype will be in operation, with industrial collaboration, by the mid-1990s. My hon. Friend is right in thinking that it will not make a significant contribution to electricity generation. However, the United Kingdom has established itself as the world leader in geothermal hot dry rock technology and has achieved the highest circulation rates in the world.