§ John RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to promote the take-up of green technologies. [33737]
§ Mr. WilsonThe Government's aim is for the UK to become a leading player in the new markets for green energy and products, waste minimisation, recycling and re-use. Support for the take-up of green technologies is provided through a wide range of activities. The main ones to which DTI contributes directly are:
The Sustainable Technologies Initiative offers grants for the development of new, more sustainable technologies. The total funding available from Government exceeds £18 million, of which £10 million is contributed by DTI, and £8 million is contributed through the science budget by research councils.
The Envirowise programme is jointly funded by DTI and DEFRA and is helping UK companies increase their competitiveness through the introduction of resource efficiency techniques and cost-effective cleaner technology. Support for the current phase is some £31 million by the two Departments.
DTI has committed £12.5 million over three years to the Waste and Resources Action Programme.
291WPromoting more sustainable technologies and practices in construction is a key objective of my Department's £15 million construction research and innovation programme.
The Government are providing substantial support to industry for the development of renewable forms of energy.
Introducing the new Renewables Obligation, exempting renewables from the Climate Change Levy and protecting existing Non Fossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO) contracts will together create a long-term market incentive for renewables worth over £1 billion per year by 2010.
We are underpinning the obligation with direct Government funding for renewables worth over £260 million between 2001 and 2004. We are setting up extensive capital grants programmes, in particular for offshore wind and energy crops projects, initiating a major photovoltaics demonstration programme, and boosting research and development.
We recently introduced an order to allow locational flexibility for NFFO 3, 4 and 5 projects that have not yet been commissioned. This will allow more appropriate locations to be found in order to overcome problems in securing planning permission.
We have initiated studies of each UK region's capacity to generate electricity from renewable sources. Once all these assessments are completed, it is expected that specific regional targets for renewable energy will be adopted across the UK.
The Government are also exploring the scope for upgrading the electricity distribution system to enable the UK's huge renewable energy resources to be exploited to the full. For example, we have commissioned an initial study of the feasibility of an underwater cable to connect parts of the western seaboard of the UK directly to the National Grid.
The Department is also working with other Government Departments on activities such as the Carbon Trust and the Green Technology Challenge.