HL Deb 08 March 1990 vol 516 cc1261-3

3.22 p.m.

Lord Jenkins of Putney asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their response to reports in the Guardian and elsewhere that information has been withheld from inquiries which might have had the effect of enhancing the claims of non-nuclear sources of energy.

Viscount Ullswater

My Lords, I do not accept allegations made in the Guardian newspaper that the Department of Energy and others withheld information about the wave energy research and development programme.

As announced to this House on 1st December 1988 by my noble friend Lady Hooper, the Department of Energy is now conducting a review of wave energy and the first progress report will be available soon.

Lord Jenkins of Putney

My Lords, I thank the noble Viscount for that reply and I look forward to receiving the reports as soon as possible. However, I suggest to the noble Viscount that there may be more validity in this complaint than he is apparently prepared to attribute to the Guardian report. Does he recall that Professor Salter, who is closely concerned with wave energy, reported to our own committee on alternative sources of energy—House of Lords Paper No. 88, published last June—when he asserted that the evidence given had been falsified, having the effect of giving less credit to developers of wave energy than was justified? In these circumstances, can we expect the reports to take account of what Professor Salter said?

Viscount Ullwater

My Lords, the noble Lord is quite right. The substance of the recent Guardian newspaper article was examined by this House two years ago. The article contained no new facts. The Select Committee on the European Communities Sub-Committee B made an examination of alternative energy sources in 1988. That examination included wave energy. A report was published and renewable energy sources were debated in this House. In my Answer l said that my noble friend Lady Hooper had agreed that a new steering group be set up. That has been done. Names have been put forward for that committee and have been agreed. The committee will undertake to review all the existing technology.

The Earl of Halsbury

My Lords, is it not excellent that the future of energy, both nuclear and non-nuclear, has been and I hope will continue to be in the hands of engineers whose eyes are on the future and not in the hands of accountants whose eyes are inexorably fixed on the past?

Viscount Ullswater

Yes, my Lords, I believe that all the possible renewable sources of energy are being carefully studied. However, they are being categorised into those that are possible or probable and those which are probably not possible.

Lord Williams of Elvel

My Lords, at the risk of being branded an accountant and wishing to establish the true cost of energy, perhaps I may ask the noble Viscount whether the Government have any plans, or negotiations with experts in the field, to achieve standardised assessment of costs between different forms of renewable energy and normal fossil-generated electricity.

Viscount Ullswater

My Lords, I do not know whether that can be done on a standardised basis. Certainly projects are assessed very carefully. At present, renewables are considered to be more costly; certainly more expensive than fossil-fuel generated electricity.

The Electricity Act to privatise the electricity industry provides the opportunity further to encourage the application of renewables. The main feature is the non-fossil fuel obligation which should provide some market protection via a premium price for renewables to enable them to move from the stage of research and development into full commercial competition.

Lord Hatch of Lusby

My Lords, is it not the case that six or seven years ago figures were given by the atomic energy authorities about the cost, particularly of wave power, and that those figures have been found to be totally false—perhaps doubled? Those figures were used in order to enhance the prospects of nuclear energy and to denigrate the opportunities for using wave power and wind power. Both those sources of power, through British technology, have been adopted in countries such as Norway and Denmark.

Viscount Ullswater

My Lords, all I can say to the noble Lord is that the United Kingdom has had a world-leading programme in assessing, the potential of wave-power at a cost of about £17 million up to 1985. Over 300 potential devices were assessed. Between 1982 and 1984 a firm of consultants conducted an assessement which was submitted to the Energy Technology Support Unit and the Department of Energy. A further review by the Advisory Council on Research and Development confirmed the consultants' view on the technologies.

Lord Hailsham of Saint Marylebone

My Lords, has my noble friend ever thought of harnessing the surplus energy produced by the noble Lord, Lord Hatch of Lusby, every day?

Viscount Ullswater

My Lords, I guess it would be renewable.

Lord Hatch of Lusby

My Lords, I trust it will be renewable for many years to come.

The noble Viscount has not answered my question nor the Question on the Order Paper. Is it the case that the Atomic Energy Authority submitted figures about costs, particularly of wave power, that were totally false? Judgment was made on those figures on what was to happen at that time to wave power, thus enhancing the opportunities for developing atomic energy.

Viscount Ullswater

My Lords, I think that what I meant to say was that the consultants employed had referred to many figures, perhaps including those put forward by the Atomic Energy Authority. On the basis of their investigations submissions were made to the Secretary of State.