Mr. Foremanasked the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the cost to the taxpayer year by year of the research and development expenditure which culminated in the steam-generating heavy water reactors at Sizewell and Torness.
§ Mr. EadieNo such reactors have yet been built. Annual expenditure to the end of 1976–77 by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority on generic research and development for the SGHWR560W system, including the cost of constructing and operating the Winfrith prototype, is set out below. In addition the Authority has placed certain specific SGHWR design and component development work with the Nuclear Power Company on behalf of the Department of Energy.
£ million Year AEA Generic Programme Contracts with NPC 1962–63 … 1.0 — 1963–64 … 6.0 — 1964–65 … 8.5 — 1965–66 … 12.7 — 1966–67 … 15.6 — 1967–68 … 11.3 — 1968–69 … 10.2 — 1969–70 … 7.1 — 1970–71 … 5.5 — 1971–72 … 4.1 — 1972–73 … 4.3 — 1973–74 … 3.5 0.6 1974–75 … 6.2 2.3 1975–76 … 6.2 4.8 1976–77 … 8.7 5.7