§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the total public expenditure to date on the Dungeness B power station project; what is the current estimate for the total cost and completion date of work on this project; and what is the estimate of the unit cost of electricity from this project.
§ Mr. Norman LamontI am advised by the CEGB that expenditure on Dungeness B to 31 March 1979 was £320 million; expenditure—at March 1979 prices—after that date is estimated to bring the total cost to £430 million—excluding initial nuclear fuel and interest
292Wcase; and whether he will seek to permit the same flexibility over gas purchase as is currently available for electricity under the Electricity Acts.
§ Mr. Norman LamontThe following figures are for 1978, the latest year for which information is available.
during construction. Commissioning is planned to start in 1980–81.
Future generating costs are subject to uncertainty and depend amongst other things on the performance of the station and the rate of inflation.