§ Mrs. BrintonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the size of community which would be served by a 100 MW tidal energy power plant. [91647]
§ Mr. BattleA 100 MW tidal energy barrage might be expected to produce electricity equivalent to the annual consumption of 40,000 to 50,000 domestic customers assuming a capacity factor for the plant in the range 0.2 to 0.3 and average sales of 4,300 kWh/yr to domestic customers. While feasibility studies for such plants have been conducted in the UK no project is known to be in early prospect.