HC Deb 09 January 1996 vol 269 cc10-1W
Mr. Robert Ainsworth

To 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. Page

The 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 capacity by 2000. This would bring the aggregate renewable-based generation capacity to around 3000 MW dnc.