§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the reasons for excluding energy from waste from the Renewables Obligations. [146381]
§ Mrs. LiddellNo final decision has yet been made on the renewables that will be included in the Obligation.
The various sources of renewable energy are at different stages of development. In our October 2000 Consultation Document on the Renewables Obligation, we took the view that large-scale hydro (i.e. exceeding 10 MW installed capacity) and energy from waste (energy recovery from municipal solid waste and from mixed streams of industrial and commercial waste) could be seen as already commercially viable, well established in the market, and able to compete with electricity from fossil fuels. This view took into account the indirect support provided to energy from waste projects by the landfill tax. The Government invited views on the proposal that these two renewable energy sources, large-scale hydro and 400W energy from waste, should be excluded from the Obligation, in order to enable resources to be concentrated on those renewables needing continued support.
The response to the consultation has been considerable and diverse and is being carefully analysed before decisions are made.