§ 10. Mr. Geraint HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the possible future application of nuclear fusion technology.
§ Mr. BaldryIf successfully developed, fusion would he a new source of electric power. It is too soon to speculate about its prospects.
§ Mr. HowellsDoes the Minister agree that the development of nuclear fusion technology could bring many benefits to the people if pursued with urgency by the Government?
§ Mr. BaldryIt is important to make it clear that the Government already spend about £27 million a year on fusion research with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, and a further £28 million, through the European Commission, on the Euratom fusion programme.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettWill my hon. Friend confirm that there is no truth in the story put out two weeks ago by the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) that a nuclear power station will be built at Pembroke?
§ Mr. BaldryThe four successor companies have been allocated the properties they need for operational reasons. Other properties, such as that at Pembroke, which are not required for current operations, have been divided up to ensure an equitable distribution of assets among the companies. Nuclear Electric has no development plans for Pembroke. The house knows that we have decided that no new stations should be built anywhere by Nuclear Electric until a complete review of nuclear power has been carried out in 1994.
§ Mr. WigleyHow much money has been spent on fusion technology since the days of Zeta back in the 1950s? Does the Minister accept that it will be the year 2025 at least before benefits come from this technology, and that the millions of pounds that have been spent on research would have been much better spent on alternative technology, which could now be bringing real benefits?
§ Mr. BaldryIt is important to get these matters into context. A proper balance has to be struck, and I believe 10 that the Government have arrived at that balance. Even if fusion were shown to be economic and reliable, it is unlikely that a commercial fusion reactor could be running before the middle of the next century.
§ Mr. ButlerDoes my hon. Friend accept the advice of the leader of the Social and Liberal Democrats that the nuclear industry should be wound up?
§ Mr. BaldryAs I said in response to the hon. Member for Southport (Mr. Fearn), I am completely confused—as I suspect many hon. Members are—about the nuclear energy policies of the SLD and its associates in this place. I would welcome their making clear to the House exactly what their policies are for nuclear energy.
§ Mr. DobsonWill the Minister tell the hon. Member for Pembroke (Mr. Bennett) that he should not be too swift in ruling out a nuclear power station at Pembroke? I received a letter from the Secretary of State today stating that Nuclear Electric intends to keep the land at Pembroke until the review of nuclear policy is completed. It would not do that if it were not contemplating building it there.
§ Mr. BaldryAs I have made clear, Nuclear Electric has no development plans for Pembroke. We have decided that no new station can be built anywhere by the company until a review has been completed in 1994, and that is how matters stand.