HC Deb 25 February 1997 vol 291 cc151-2W
Mr. John Marshall

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the cost of incremental damage per tonne emitted of(a) benzene, (b) 1.3 butadiene, (c) carbon monoxide and (d) carbon dioxide. [17122]

Mr. Clappison

(a) Benzene, (b) 1.3 butadiene and (c) carbon monoxide are three of the air pollutants covered by the forthcoming UK national air quality strategy. No robust data are currently available for computing, in precise terms, the incremental damage per tonne emitted for each of the three pollutants. There has been much less work by academics on these three pollutants than for other pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and fine particles. However, a programme of work is being put in place to improve on the current information on costs and benefits, including information on incremental damage costs per tonne of pollutant emitted, for the first review of the national air quality strategy in 1999.

On (d) carbon dioxide, the UK has taken a very active part in the work of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. At the end of 1995, the report of the IPCC working group three was published, which reviewed and consolidated all the relevant literature on the economic and social dimensions of climate change. The marginal or incremental damages per tonne of CO, emitted were estimated to lie between $5 and $125. This range of marginal damage estimate is associated with an aggregated monetised damage due to climate change of 1.5 to 2 per cent. of world gross national product. There will be future work to refine these estimates.

Mr. Meacher

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what evaluation his Department has made of the levels of(a) sulphur dioxide emissions and (b) nitrogen oxide emissions resulting from the combustion of petroleum coke in power stations; [17189] (2) what studies his Department has (a) made and (b) commissioned into petroleum coke fuels; what assessment it has made of the environmental effects of petroleum coke burned in United States power plants; and which EU regulations cover emissions resulting from the combustion of petroleum coke. [17188]

Mr. Gummer

My Department has not made or commissioned any studies on petroleum coke burning, since regulation of such burning is the responsibility of the Environment Agency. I understand that the agency has examined National Power's recent application to carry out limited trial burning of petroleum coke at Drax power station and that, having concluded that emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide will be within currently authorised limits for Drax, the agency has authorised the trial. I further understand that the Environment Agency spoke with its US counterparts in deciding whether to authorise the trials, to confirm that it had properly considered all relevant issues, and that the agency will be closely monitoring the trial results from Drax.

Whilst they do not explicitly refer to petroleum coke, the EU air framework and large combustion plant directives (84/360/EC and 88/609/EC) govern the processes which involve its burning. These directives are given effect in England and Wales through the industrial pollution control regimes introduced by part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, under which the Environment Agency regulates Drax. The recently adopted directive on integrated pollution prevention and control (96/61/EC), which must be implemented in EU member states by 31 October 1999, will also goven the processes which burn petroleum coke. Once implemented, 96/61/EC will have the effect of repealing 84/360/EC.