§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money the Government spent on promoting the generation of electricity using wind power in(a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000 and (d) 2000–01; and how much it plans to spend in the current financial year. [7327]
§ Mr. WilsonThe table shows spending on wind power through the Non Fossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO), the Scottish Renewables Order and the DTI's Sustainable Energy Programme.
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£ million Year NFFO Scottish Renewables Order DTI's Sustainable Energy Programme 1997–98 36.8 3.9 1.6 1998–99 35.1 5.4 1.4 1999–2000 7.3 6.2 1.2 2000–01 6.8 5.3 1.3 2001–02 11.8 28.9 22.5 1 Spend to end June 2001 2 Estimate only An up-to-date estimate on the current year's financial expenditure on NFFO should be available following a re-profiling exercise which is currently being undertaken by the Non-Fossil Purchasing Agency (NFPA). Spend on wind power will, of course, only be one element of our total spend on renewables. The new Renewables Obligation will create a long-term market for renewables which will be worth over £1 billion per year by 2010. The Obligation will be the main mechanism by which we will meet our renewables targets and will be underpinned by direct Government funding worth over £260 million between 2001 and 2004. This will include an extensive capital grants programme, which will offer at least £49 million for the early deployment of offshore wind.