Mr. Robert AinsworthTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the current capacity of the United Kingdom's renewable energy electricity generation plant; and what are the projected capacities for each year to 2000. [8021]
§ Mr. PageThe estimated total operational capacity of renewable energy based generating plant in the United Kingdom at the end of 1995 was as follows:
Category of operational renewables capacity MW dnc (Declared net capacity) Large-scale hydro mainly in Scotland and Wales 1,440 Other capacity outside NFFO1/SRO2/NI-NFFO3 20 Capacity within NFFO/SRO/NI-NFFO 380 Total estimated renewables-based generating capacity in the UK at the end of 1995 MWdnc1,840 1Non-fossil fuel obligation—premium market for electricity from renewables in England and Wales. 2Scottish renewables obligation—premium market for electricity from renewables in Scotland. 3Northern Ireland non-fossil fuel obligation—premium market for electricity from renewables in Northern Ireland. In addition, an average of about a further 130 MW dnc of operational capacity is expected to come on stream in each of 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 from contracts already in place under existing NFFO/SRO/NI-NFFO orders and from modest growth outside NFFO/SRO arrangements.
Further orders are proposed for this year, NI-NFFO-2; for 1997, NFFO-4 and SRO-2; and for 1998, NFFO-5 and SRO-3, in line with delivering Government policy of working towards 1500 MW of new renewable-based 11W capacity by 2000. This would bring the aggregate renewable-based generation capacity to around 3000 MW dnc.