HC Deb 25 July 1988 vol 138 cc9-10
8. Dr. Michael Clark

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what research his Department is sponsoring into the technology of electricity transmission; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Michael Spicer

My Department does not sponsor any research on the transmission of electricity. The CEGB is currently spending about £4.5 million a year on transmission research.

Dr. Clark

Will the application of new materials to electricity transmission lead to less unsightly pylons in the country, particularly in south-east Essex? Is there any commercial application for the materials that are associated with superconductivity, so that the size of the pylons can be reduced, making them smaller and less obtrusive?

Mr. Spicer

I am not a technical expert on this subject. The new superconducting materials were only discovered in the past 18 months or so. I understand that it is too early to say how they will affect developments in transmission.

Mr. Matthew Taylor

The Minister will be aware that, at present, transmission losses are not passed on in costs for getting electricity down to Cornwall. It is delivered to Indian Queens, and losses are paid for only after that. Can the Minister say whether that will still be the case after privatisation, or whether people in areas such as Cornwall, where there are considerable transmission losses in getting power there, will have to pay extra costs?

Mr. Spicer

I can assure the hon. Gentleman that the transmission costs will be transparent, both for the supergrid and for lower voltages. Everyone will know what the costs are, as will the Regulator when he decides which costs are allowable. That is one of the great advantages of the privatised system. Everyone will know to a far greater extent where he stands.

Mr. Knapman

Can the Minister confirm that the decision to close Berkeley power station, which is in my constituency, was made on financial grounds, and certainly not on safety grounds?

Mr. Spicer

I can confirm that. It was entirely a matter of the CEGB deciding that it would not be commercially sensible to carry out the requirements that the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate had laid down. It was entirely a commercial decision.

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