§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the total cost of electricity generation by(a) gas, (b) coal and (c) nuclear is accounted for by the primary fuel source in the latest year for which figures are available. [17808]
§ Mr. WilsonThe Department does not publish statistics relating to the cost of fuel as a proportion of the total cost of generating electricity. However, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and International Energy Agency (IEA) periodically undertake comparative studies of the projected costs of baseload electricity generation in different countries. The most recent study was published in 1998, which forecast the generating costs of various technologies and plant types that could be commissioned by 2005–10.
685WAs a share of the total cost of generation, the latest comparative study estimated the following figures:
Fuel Type Percentage share of total cost Gas 64 Coal 36 Nuclear 12 Source:
Pages 68–69, table 16. Projected Costs of Generating Electricity—Update 1998 (NEA and IEA). Figures in the table refer to the percentage shares of levelised costs at 10 per cent. discount rate and are averages of least expensive plant options in each country surveyed.