§ Mr. Chris Smithasked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) whether the Government are taking steps to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions from power stations by encouraging energy conservation or electricity conservation; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what sum, as a proportion of expenditure and in total, his Department has spent in the last two years for which figures are available, and what sum it is planned to spend in the next two years, in order to investigate electricity or energy conservation as a means of reducing sulphur dioxide emissions from power stations.
§ Mr. GoodladExpenditure on means of reducing sulphur dioxide emissions from power stations is primarily the responsibility of the CEGB. My Department has supported work on promising advanced technologies that could reduce power station emissions. As announced on 24 January 1984, we are contributing, together with the BGC, CEGB and the NCB to two engineering design studies of commercial scale coal fired power stations using the slagging gasifier and a pressurised fluidised bed combustor. The Department's contribution totals £626,000 most of which will be spent in the next two years.
My Department has also contributed some £17 million over the past eight years to the construction and operation of the experimental pressurised fluidised bed facility at Grimethorpe under the auspices of the International Energy Agency. £6.5 million of this expenditure was incurred over the past two years. The NCB and CEGB announced last May that they will jointly finance continuation of this work over the next two years at a cost of £25 million. The energy efficiency campaign my right hon. Friend launched on taking up his present responsibilities would also make an important contribution to controlling emissions from power stations and from industry. This is aimed at persuading consumers to realise cost-effective energy savings equivalent to some 20 per cent. of present energy consumption.