§ Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what proportion of the consumer price for a unit of nuclear electricity is set aside for paying the cost of dealing with the waste occasioned by the generation of that unit;
(2) what will be the total estimated cost in 1986 money per unit of electricity generated of supervising the disposal of nuclear waste.
§ Mr. GoodladThe Central Electricity Generating Board's Accounts for 1985–86, the latest year for which figures are available, include provision for the costs of nuclear waste treatment totalling around £70 million.
When averaged over the total electricity generated, these costs represent about 0.03p per unit. The electricity industry does not distinguish in its prices between nuclear and non-nuclear generation, but as a proportion of the overall price paid by consumers in England and Wales, these costs represent less than 1 per cent. of the total price of electricity.
§ Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Secretary of State for Energy what are the latest relative total unit costs of the different types of electrical generation in the United Kingdom per unit, taking account of the cost of disposing of waste products.
§ Mr. GoodladThe latest available comparative generation costs are those published by the Central Electricity Generating Board in its booklet "Analysis of Generation Costs 1983–84 Update", a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.