Offshore Wind Generation (Hansard, 10 July 1989)

§ Mr. Michael Spicer

The chairman of the CEGB announced in 1988 the proposal to build an offshore wind turbine generator as part of a joint programme with the Department. Following withdrawal of the prospective industrial partner from wind turbine manufacture, alternatives are now being considered.

Department of Energy research, development and design expenditure on renewable energy (£ million)
	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88	1988–89
Wind	0.6	0.8	0.9	2.5	2.5	4.8	5.4	3.7	4.0	3.9
Wave	3.0	3.3	4.4	3.1	1.0	0.4	0.4	0.1	0.2	0.1
Geothermal aquifers	1.3	1.7	2.6	1.5	1.8	1.1	0.3	0.1	0	0.1
Geothermal hot dry rocks	0	0.6	5.6	3.0	2.9	4.6	3.5	3.5	3.6	3.5
Solar	1.2	0.9	0.7	1.4	0.9	0.5	0.7	0.9	1.1	1.4
Biomass¹	0.1	0.4	0.4	1.2	0.7	1.1	0.8	1.3	2.2	1.5
Tide	0.6	1.4	0.4	0	0	0.3	0.1	0.1	1.4	1.2
Hydro/General studies									0.8	0.8
Technology transfer and promotion									0.7	1.0
ETSU services	1.4	2.2	2.3	2.0	1.9	2.1	2.0	2.3	2.3	2.5
	8.2	11.3	17.3	14.7	11.7	14.9	13.2	12.0	16.3	16.0
¹ Includes expenditure on "waste as a fuel" projects under the Energy Efficiency Office demonstration scheme.

Note: Up to 1986–87 total for research and development also includes expenditure on low head hydro and general studies. These are separately identified for 1987–88 onwards. For 1987–88 onwards general studies includes work by the chief scientist's group.

Department of Energy expenditure on nuclear programmes (£ million)
	Fast reactor	Fusion	Thermal reactor	Other	Total
1979–80	76.4	13.0	17.2	38.9	145.5
1980–81	90.8	14.8	22.8	57.8	186.2
1981–82	98.2	22.5	35.7	49.0	205.4
1982–83	96.4	21.6	36.0	60.8	214.8
1983–84	114.9	22.1	30.5	36.3	203.8
1984–85	102.5	25.6	25.6	32.4	186.1
1985–86	102.0	21.1	29.1	37.4	189.6
1986–87	99.4	18.9	15.6	50.0	183.9
1987–88	75.8	20.8	16.7	59.0	172.3
1988–89	182.5	24.9	17.4	132.0	¹256.8
¹ Excludes restructuring costs.

Note: All figures are in cash of the day.