§ Mr. DowdTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) which other EC countries have invested in coal-water mixtures; and which intend to use it as a source of power generation;
(2) how much has been invested into research of coal-water mixtures as a clean source of power generation since 1980 by (a) his Department and (b) British Coal;
113W(3) how much (a) his Department and (b) British Coal intend to invest in research and development of coal-water mixtures in the financial year 1993–94.
§ Mr. EggarThe use of coal water mixtures was investigated by industry during the 1980s, with support from the European Commission. British Coal, with EC support, invested about £1.1 million and industrial companies also contributed to the collaborative research programme. Several other EC countries also received EC support for research on coal water mixtures, including France, Germany and Italy. My Department has not provided financial support for research on coal water mixtures.
The conclusions of the research were that the use of coal water mixtures in power station boilers was technically feasible but it was not economic. In particular it was a more expensive method of reducing sulphur emissions from coal fired power stations than gas desulphurisation equipment. Neither my Department nor British Coal has any plans for further research on coal water mixtures.
§ Mr. DowdTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how much has been invested by his Department in(a) oil, (b) gas and (c) nuclear fuels as a source of power generation.
§ Mr. EggarMy Department's expenditure on nuclear research directed specificially at power generation in 1991–92 was £80.1 million. There was no expenditure on oil or gas research for power generation.