HL Deb 22 July 1987 vol 488 cc1475-6WA
Lord Rea

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the estimated cost of the electricity to be generated by the oscillating column plant to be built on Islay.

Viscount Davidson

The installation on Islay is an experimental plant not intended to produce electricity commercially. The currently planned Phase II will allow on-site measurements to help estimate the potential and cost for electricity production from small-scale, inshore, oscillating water-column wave energy plants. If Phase II is successful then it would be possible to continue the experiment by adding a Wells turbine and electricity generator capable of producing about 200kW, and control plant. It is estimated that later 1 MW production plant might generate electricity at the station boundary in the range 3–4.5 p/kWh. This compares with 8–14 p/kWh (1982 prices) for the large-scale, offshore generators studied earlier in the wave programme.