§ Mr. Altonasked the Secretary of State for Energy how much it costs to build one nuclear power station of each reactor type; how many he anticipates commissioning; and how much will be spent this year on the development of alternative sources of energy.
§ Mr. Norman LamontThe Central Electricity Generating Board's estimates of the construction costs of future nuclear stations are based on updating the work done by the National Nuclear Corporation in the thermal reactor assessment—published in 1977. They indicate costs of £900–£1,000 million for an AGR of 1320 MW, and £1,400–£1,500 million for a PWR of 2200 MW—1979 price levels. In the assessment, station capacities were selected for the purposes of the cost estimate studies only.
Announcements about future orders will be made as appropriate. The Department of Energy's expenditure on alternative sources of energy—solar, wave, wind, geothermal and tidal—is estimated to be about £7 million in the current financial year.