§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's target is for the use of renewable energy by(a) 2020, (b) 2030 and (c) 2040; and if she will make a statement. [4444]
§ Mr. WilsonThe Government have proposed targets for renewable energy for 2003 and 2010 subject to the cost being acceptable to consumers. We shall be considering the possibility of setting additional targets in the light of the energy review being carried out by the Performance and Innovation Unit.
§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the subsidy paid to(a) the UK nuclear industry and (b) renewable sources of energy for each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [4441]
§ Mr. WilsonNo Government investment or subsidy has been paid in years since 1997 toward the production of nuclear power or to the development, planning or construction of nuclear power stations. There is no current expectation that there will be any in the period to 2005–6.
265W The levy funds paid for production and development of power from renewable sources under the Non Fossil Fuel Obligation in respect of England and Wales for each year from 1997–98 are shown in the table.
£ million 1997–98 115.9 1998–99 113.7 1999–2000 41.9 2000–01 52.1 2001–02 (estimate) 111.0 Additional sums will have been made available under the obligations operating in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Support for renewable energy in years from 2002–03 will depend upon the detailed terms of the renewables obligation, on which I will be consulting shortly.
In addition to support to be provided under the renewables obligation, the Government have pledged over £260 million over the next three years in direct support for the production and development of renewable energy. Renewables will also be helped indirectly through exemption from the climate change levy.
§ Mr. WeirTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of changes in(a) demand and (b) production of energy in (i) the UK, (ii) Wales and (iii) Scotland until 2020, broken down by (A) nuclear, (B) renewable and (C) fossil fuel; and what proportion of demand will be met from maximum forecast (x) nuclear, (y) renewable and (z) fossil fuel output. [3936]
§ Mr. Wilson[holding answer 17 July 2001]: The DTI published, in Energy Paper 68 (EP68), energy demand projections for the period 2000 to 2020 in November 2000. The projections covered the UK as a whole. The DTI has made no assessment of prospects for demand and supply in separate regions of the UK.
The projected total energy demands and contributions of each fuel, under a range of different economic conditions, are shown in Annexe H of EP68.
Energy Paper 68 is available in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. WeirTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the maximum output is from(a) nuclear, (b) renewable and (c) fossil fuel sources; and how these capacities will vary in each year until 2020 for (i) Scotland, (ii) the UK and (iii) Wales. [3935]
§ Mr. Wilson[holding answer 17 July 2001]:At the end of 2000 major power producer maximum UK electrical generating capacity was 12.5GW at nuclear stations, 55.8GW at fossil fuel plants, and 2.4GW at all renewable plants (excluding pumped storage plant).
The DTI published, in Energy Paper 68 (EP68), energy demand projections for the period 2000 to 2020 in November 2000. Figures in Annexe G of EP68 show the assumed or projected capacities for a range of generating plant in a number of scenarios. The projections cover the UK as a whole. As a broad indication, in 2010, nuclear 266W capacity is estimated to be 10GW, renewables capacity between 7 and 8GW and fossil capacity between 50 and 55GW.
Separate official figures are not available for Scotland and Wales, although the British Energy website gives output data for recent periods www.british-energy.com. The Government have not attempted to predict where capacity by fuel type will be geographically located.
Energy Paper 68 is available in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. WeirTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will estimate as proportions of energy(a) produced and (b) forecast to be produced in (1) UK, (2) Scotland and (3) Wales from (i) nuclear, (ii) renewable and (iii) fossil fuel sources for each year from 1997–98 to 2005–06. [3934]
§ Mr. Wilson[holding answer 17 July 2001]: DTI publishes each year in the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics electricity supplied by each type of fuel. These data are for the United Kingdom as a whole and are on a calendar year basis. Separate official figures are not available for Scotland and Wales, although the British Energy website gives output data for recent periods (www.british-energy.com). The figures for 2000 will be published in the 2001 Digest on 26 July 2001 and a copy of the digest will be made available in the Library of the House. The electricity supplied figures for the years 1997 to 2000 are as follows:
Electricity supplied (gross) by all generating companies in the UK (TWh)1 Year Nuclear Renewables Fossil fuels 1997 89.3 7.2 234.0 1998 90.6 8.8 244.8 1999 87.7 9.9 251.3 2000 78.3 10.2 267.5 1 Supplies from pumped storage stations, and imports of electricity are excluded. The DTI published, in Energy Paper 68 (EP68), energy demand projections for the period 2000 to 2020 in November 2000. The projections cover the whole of the UK and no assessment was made of energy demand or supply prospects by region. Projections of the amount of electricity generated by the various types of plant are shown in Annexe D of Energy Paper 68. Annual projections of energy demand and supply are not available. In terms of the major producers of power, in the year 2005 nuclear is projected to account for around 24 per cent., renewables around 6 per cent. and other fossil sources around 67 per cent. of electricity supply. The remaining supply is in the form of pumped storage output or imports of electricity through the electricity link with France.