§ 3.22 p.m.
THE EARL OF BESSBOROUGHMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in the problem of desalting water since the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research offered over a year ago an earmarked grant of up to £34,325 to the Water Research Association for studies in desalination; whether a close watch is now being kept on work in the United States and elsewhere; and whether the Committee concerned and the Atomic Energy Authority have made progress in their study of the economic factors as they affect this and other countries.]
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF TECHNOLOGY (LORD SNOW)My Lords, the Water Research Association has made good progress in its study of the economic factors underlying the provision of sweet water. A mission is to leave shortly for the United States for discussions with the Office of Saline Water.
As announced last April, a Committee on Desalination Research has been established, including representatives from Government research stations, the Atomic Energy Authority and industry. This Committee has carried out a preliminary consideration of a research programme, in conjunction with industry. The Atomic Energy Authority has undertaken work on the use of nuclear energy for a desalination plant. The Committee and the A.E.A. have also kept a close watch on work in the United States and elsewhere.
British industry, as the noble Earl is aware, since he has kept an active watch on this matter, has already established, primarily for arid areas, a commercially proven method of turning sea-water into fresh. This is the multi-stage flash evaporator, which is regarded as the most efficient in use to-day. Over the last ten years, British firms have supplied some 40 installations to various parts 187 of the world. They form in total more than 70 per cent. of the land-based plants now in operation everywhere. Her Majesty's Government are conscious of the need to support research to maintain our lead in what could be a growing export market for large desalination plants. My right honourable friend the Minister of Technology is considering plans for increasing the scale of effort on desalination research, and hopes to make a statement fairly soon.
THE EARL OF BESSBOROUGHMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that encouraging reply, which shows that some progress has been made on the lines of action initiated by the previous Government, may I ask him whether he is aware that in the United States design studies are being produced in the Oakridge National Laboratory of the Atomic Energy Commission in Tennessee for a desalting plant which would be capable of producing 20 million gallons a day, with the possibility of increasing this capacity up to 50 or 100 million gallons a day, and that this quantity would probably provide the most economic method of producing water by the use of nuclear reactors? Is the noble Lord also aware that, when I was in Washington last autumn, the Office of Saline Water said that they not only valued the cooperation with industry in this country, but would also like to see co-operation with this country extended in basic as well as applied research into the problems of desalting? Is this cooperation, in fact, continuing?
§ LORD SNOWYes, my Lords, I am aware of both those points. Cooperation is in fact continuing on the second matter, of basic research, but we also feel that this country cannot maintain the very strong position it now holds if we do not continue and increase our scale of basic research.