§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what is her current estimate of kilowatt hours electricity created by wind power in England and Wales; and if she will make a statement; [20301]
(2) what is her current estimate of kilowatt hours electricity created by hydro-electric power in England and Wales; and if she will make a statement. [20302]
§ Mr. BattleGeneration from wind in the United Kingdom as a whole during 1996 was 486 million kilowatt hours, 0.14 per cent. of the total UK generation of electricity. This represented a 24 per cent. increase on 1995 and over 14 times the generation in 1992. Wind 673W farms in England and Wales generated about 75 per cent. of the UK total in 1996, nearly all of which was supported under the non-fossil obligation orders.
Generation from hydro-electric sources in the United Kingdom as a whole during 1996 was 3,361 million kilowatt hours, 1 per cent. of the total UK generation of electricity. A further 1,556 million kilowatt hours was produced by pumped storage plant, but 2,430 million kilowatt hours was used in pumping. The highest annual level of generation from hydro sources was in 1992 at 5,431 million kilowatt hours, representing 1.7 per cent. of total UK generation in that year. Dry weather has restricted the availability of hydro power in the years since 1992. Hydro plant in England and Wales generated about 6 per cent. of the UK total in 1996. For hydro plant in England and Wales supported under the non-fossil fuel obligations orders, generation was 1 per cent. of the UK total.
Onshore wind energy and small scale hydro are proposed to be supported under a further non-fossil fuel obligation order, NFFO-5, the policy proposals for which I announced to the House on 25 November 1997, Official Report, columns 507–08.