§ Mr. BlairTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he intends proceeding with his plan to include the nuclear power plants within electricity privatisation; whether he intends transferring the ownership of physical assets of nuclear power plants currently owned by the Central Electricity Generating Board to the private sector; what is his latest estimate of the costs of decommissioning nuclear power stations and disposing and reprocessing of nuclear waste; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ParkinsonThe Government's plans for privatising the electricity industry were set out in the White Paper, "Privatising Electricity" (Cm. 322) and in the Electricity Bill, and were debated at length during the passage of the Bill. These remain the Government's policy.
The CEGB estimates that the average cost of decommissioning each of its existing nuclear power stations, in current prices and assuming a delay of around 100 years before the final stage of decommissioning, will be about £300 million, including the costs of disposal of waste arising. The costs of reprocessing spent fuel will depend on the commercial negotiations between the CEGB and BNFL which are currently underway.