§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the number of hours of operation and the electricity generated, in kilowatt hours, by the Orkney 3 MW wind turbine at Burgar hill in each year since 1988 and in 1993 to date.
§ Mr. EggarOperating records of the Orkney 3 MW wind turbine at Burgar hill are described in the table:
Year Hours run mKWh generated 1989 1,551 1.926 1990 1,103 1.549 1991 790 1.135 1992 3,662 5.152 1993 — — The machine has not operated in 1993 pending a decision on recommissioning it following completion of its experimental programme.
§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what estimate he has made of the costs of repairing the crack in the rotor in the Orkney 3 MW wind turbine discovered in December 1992; and when he expects the repairs to be completed;
(2) if he will make a statement on the future operational programme for the Orkney 3 MW wind turbine.
§ Mr. EggarThe turbine has completed its experimental programme and therefore its future depends on its viability as a generator of electricity. This is under consideration and my Department and Scottish Hydro-Electric plc hope to make a statement before the end of the year. The cost of repairing and recommissioning would be in the region of £50,000.