§ Mr. MorganTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the impact of the coal privatisation programme on the competitive position of Sizewell B with regard to the merit order; what further consultations he has had with the EC competition directorate general concerning the applicability of(a) the existing nuclear operating agreement and (b) the nuclear levy payments to Sizewell B in the period 1994 to 1998, (c) extension of life of the Magnox stations and (d) extension of life of the nuclear levy beyond 1998; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EggarThe capacity and output from Sizewell B is included in Nuclear Electric's contract with the regional electricity companies, which expires on 31 March 1998. The treatment of Sizewell B by the appropriate regulatory authorities will be no different from that of Nuclear Electric's existing stations. The commercial arrangements relating to Nuclear Electric's operations up to 1998, including Sizewell B, were notified to the European Commission in March 1990 under state aid notification procedures.
§ Mr. MorganTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what assessment he has made of the impact on 995W eastern bloc and European nuclear safety of the $100 million fund set up at the Group of Seven to cover retrofitting Soviet-designed nuclear power stations;
(2) if he will make a statement on the conclusions of the G7 summit meeting on Soviet-designed eastern bloc nuclear reactor safety problems and Group of 24 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development retrofit safety programmes and the British nuclear industry contribution to those programmes.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 13 July 1992]: I welcome these important conclusions, which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister referred to in his statement to the House on 13 July 1992. As he explained, the G7 countries have given support to a multilateral programme of action to improve the safety of Soviet-designed nuclear power plants in the former Soviet Union and central and eastern Europe. The programme aims to achieve significant improvements in the short-term in operational safety and in strengthening regulatory regimes in those countries. A supplementary multilateral mechanism, details of which have still to he settled, will be set up to fund necessary short-term safety improvements which are not adequately covered by bilateral programmes of assistance.
At the same time, the programme lays the foundation for longer-term safety improvements by setting in train energy studies covering replacement sources of energy and the scope for, and cost implications of, upgrading nuclear plants of more recent design.
The G7 countries have urged other interested states to contribute to the programme. The group of 24 OECD countries—G24—will co-ordinate this assistance through existing but strengthened procedures. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will assist in the administration of the multilateral fund in close liaison with the G24 and will report on the potential financial requirements for future energy supplies.
The British nuclear industry is already playing an active part in bilateral and international assistance programmes and I expect it to make an enhanced contribution within the framework of the multilateral programme which has now been agreed.