§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Power, in view of the fact that the price of uranium fell by 5 per cent, in 1959, and the capital costs of nuclear power installations have been reduced now by 20 per cent., if he will make a statement indicating the trend of comparable installation and running costs between oil-, coal- and nuclear-powered stations; and if he will give an estimate of when nuclear-powered stations will achieve parity.
§ Mr. WoodCosts are likely to fall for both conventional and nuclear power stations, but the trend depends on a great many factors, including future technical advances. Neither installation nor running costs can be precisely forecast. There is reason to hope, however, that within ten years the cost of nuclear power used for base load generation will be equal to the cost of power from coal or oil-fired stations.