HC Deb 12 January 1988 vol 125 cc222-4W
Mr. Matthew Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the total annual expenditure on the Joint European Torus fusion project by all contributing partners since its inception up to 1987–88, broken down into contributions by individual countries.

Mr. Michael Spicer

The table gives full details of the annual contributions for Euratom and each member country of the JET (Joint European Torus) joint undertaking from its inception in June 1978. There are no figures yet available for the contributions from Spain and Portugal which became members of the undertaking in June 1987.

Draft budgets for
1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988
France 247,320 814,520 912,161 1,040,400 1,935,500 2,168,566 2,107,300 1,846,325 2,095,500 2,297,000 2,649,200
Germany 558,600 1,839,640 2,074,192 2,370,700 4,363,800 4,570,441 3,699,200 2,444,175 3,298,200 3,963,300 3,845,700
Greece — — — — — — — — — — —
Ireland — — — — — — — — — — —
Italy 95,760 315,560 573,881 500,200 844,400 853,211 963,800 770,675 872,900 1,028,000 1,195,600
Luxembourg — — — 4,890 6,910 2,300 5,100 4,625 5,600 3,900 2,200
Netherlands 69,360 228,080 215,202 254,800 499,800 702,242 545,600 365,550 426,400 438,200 428,200
Sweden 23,760 78,160 48,728 77,100 134,100 151,185 173,600 98,500 119,600 157,500 172,000
Switzerland — 48,360 337,468 181,400 311,000 352,528 396,400 343,800 407,900 422,900 428,700
United Kingdom 1,374,600 4,575,240 5,882,605 6,291,500 11,877,700 14,599,242 12,863,000 7,045,950 9,607,200 11,431,000 11,766,000
Total 12,000,000 40,000,000 50,890,938 54,330,000 101,242,300 118,750,000 105,632,000 65,625,000 85,312,800 99,824,600 104,001,800

Notes:

1. United Kingdom contribution includes 10 per cent. as host.

2. Estimated income from Spain and Portugal is not available.

Mr. Matthew Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what is the current range of estimates assumed by his Department for(a) the likely achievement of a sustained fusion reaction and (b) the economic viability of nuclear fusion reactors;

(2) what specific criteria his Department uses to assess the economic viability of nuclear fusion and in particular the Joint European Torus programme; and if he will name any consultants, other than those associated with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority/Joint European Torus programme who have provided advice to his Department on the economic viability of nuclear fusion.

Mr. Michael Spicer

The JET (Joint European Torus) project at Culham is the centrepiece of European investigations into the potential of harnessing the energy released by nuclear fusion. The immediate aim of the programme is to establish the scientific feasibility of fusion power. If successful, this could lead to the demonstration of sustained, controlled fusion reactions in a follow-on NET (Next European Torus) project. The economic viability of fusion power could only be confirmed thereafter by experience with a power generating demonstration reactor. A report by the energy technology support unit (Report R-43 published in February 1987) concluded that extremely demanding materials, engineering, irradiation, fuel injection and waste treatment requirements would need to be satisfied before reaching the point, perhaps by 2050, where commercial power reactors would be a realistic proposition. The economic viability of nuclear fusion is therefore extremely uncertain.

Mr. Matthew Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what is the proposed annual budget for the research and development of nuclear fusion for the period 1987–88 to 1990–91;

(2) what was the annual expenditure for the research and development of nuclear fusion in the years 1970–71 to 1986–87.

Mr. Michael Spicer

With the exception of the JET project and some minor research in universities, United Kingdom fusion research is carried out entirely by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. Its expenditure is funded partly by the Department of Energy Vote and, since 1973, partly by Euratom under a contract of association. The cost of fusion research by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is set out with the contribution from Euratom shown in brackets. United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority expenditure funded by the Department on the Joint European Torus project (JET), is given separately in my reply today to the hon. Member for Truro.

United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority fusion research
Total of which Euratom
£ million £ million
1970–71 4.1 —
1971–72 4.4 —
1972–73 4.0 —
1973–74 4.3 (1.3)
1974–75 5.8 (1.5)
1975–76 7.7 (2.0)
1976–77 8.5 (1.9)
1977–78 9.6 (2.3)
1978–79 11.5 (3.2)
1979–80 14.6 (4.1)
1980–81 17.9 (6.5)
1981–82 21.5 (4.2)
1982–83 17.8 (5.3)
1983–84 18.9 (4.8)
1984–85 23.2 (4.3)
1985–86 21.7 (5.0)
1986–87 19.6 (5.5)
1987–88 19.5 1(5.2)
1 Provisional.

Departmental funding for the years 1988–89 and 1989–90 has yet to be agreed. Provisional figures, which include funding for JET, of £21.45 million and £21.75 million respectively, are published in the "Cabinet Office 1987 Annual Review of Government-funded R&D." Figures for 1990–91 are not available.