§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will(a) raise his target for electricity generated from renewable resources and (b) remove waste incineration from the Government's definition of renewable energy.[126275]
§ Mrs. LiddellThe Government have the target of obtaining 10 per cent. of UK electricity from renewable sources by 2010, against a current figure of just under 3 per cent., subject to the cost of this being acceptable to consumers. The target set is challenging, and the Government have no plan to raise it.
We do not intend to exclude energy from waste incineration from our definition of renewable energy. Wastes produced by households, industry and commerce pose a difficult problem. Our draft national waste strategy provides for waste reduction, materials recycling and energy recovery. Where there is no better alternative, using waste materials to produce energy can reduce environmental problems and at the same time save fossil fuels.
72W