Nuclear Power Stations

HC Deb 09 May 1967 vol 746 cc179-81W

36. Mr. Concannon

asked the Minister of Power whether the revised estimates of cost of electricity to be generated by the early A.G.R. stations, take account of the cast of work done on the process by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.

Mr. Marsh

The published estimates did not include royalties which will be payable to the Atomic Energy Authority at 0.014d. per unit sent out.

37. Mr. Concannon

asked the Minister of Power if he will state the total capital cost of the nuclear stations now operating and the cost of the same amount of conventional capacity commissioned at about the same time.

Mr. Marsh

For C.E.G.B. nuclear stations £390 million and about £120 million respectively; these figures exclude interest during construction and the cost of the initial fuel for nuclear stations.

38. Mr. Varley

asked the Minister of Power if he will give the latest estimates of the cost per kilowatt hour of electricity generated from Dungeness B and Hinkley Point B power stations.

Mr. Freeson

0.51d. for Dungeness B and 0.47d. for Hinkley Point B, excluding royalties payable to the Atomic Energy Authority.

39. Mr. Ogden

asked the Minister of Power whether, when he is considering applications by the Central Electricity Generating Board for permission to build nuclear power stations, he takes into account the fact that a higher return of earnings would be possible, if the extra capital required by comparison with a conventional station, were used for other purposes.

Mr. Marsh

The adequacy of the rate of return on the extra capital required for nuclear power stations compared with conventional stations is one of the factors taken into account in considering the Board's investment programme.

40. Mr. Ogden

asked the Minister of Power why he permits the running of the present nuclear power stations at a high load factor, when the power they generate costs much more than that produced by conventional stations, which because of the priority given to the nuclear stations, are operated a lower load factor.

41. Mr. Hunter

asked the Minister of Power what is the amount of coal now being displaced from power stations by nuclear stations; and what the amount would be if the nuclear stations were loaded in accordance with their operating costs instead of on base load.

Mr. Marsh

Nuclear power accounted for the equivalent of just under 8 million tons of coal in 1966.

Nuclear stations are operated at a high load factor because their replacement fuel costs are much lower than those of conventional stations.

42. Mr. Henig

asked the Minister of Power whether he has approved proposals for a nuclear power station to be built at Heysham; and when work on its construction will commence.

Mr. Freeson

The application for consent to construct this station is still being considered. I cannot yet say when work will commence.