Renewable Energy (Hansard, 5 December 2002)

§ Malcolm Bruce
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of sales licensed electricity suppliers are obliged to obtain from renewable sources; and what proportion they will be obliged to obtain from renewable sources(a) by 1 April 2003 and (b) by 1 April 2011. [85436]

§ Mr. Wilson
For the current year, the Renewables Obligation is set at 3 per cent, of total electricity sales from licensed electricity suppliers. This will rise to 4.3 per cent, for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004, and to 10.4 per cent, for 2010–11 and subsequent periods. Suppliers may discharge their Obligation either by themselves supplying renewable electricity to customers in Great Britain, or by producing Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) purchased in the market, or by paying a buy-out price in place of all or part of their Obligation.

§ Malcolm Bruce
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of the electricity generated in the United Kingdom came from renewable energy sources in(a) 2001 and (b) to date in 2002. [85487]

§ Mr. Wilson
The proportion of electricity generated in the United Kingdom, in 2001 that came from renewable energy sources was 2.6 per cent. Complete data for 2002 will not be available until summer 2003. However, because generation from large scale hydro sources by major power producers in the first three quarters of 2002 was 1.6 TWh higher than in the corresponding period of 2001 and because large scale hydro generation accounts for over 40 per cent, of generation from renewables, it is anticipated that this recovery alone will have raised the renewables percentage in 2002.

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the provisions in force to ensure that exporters of renewable energy goods are protected against the risks of non-payment. [84193]
997W

§ Ms Hewitt
ECGD's full range of products is available to UK based capital goods exporters in the renewable energy sector. This includes(i) export credit insurance providing cover against the risk of not receiving payment due to specified commercial or political risks. (ii) guarantee for loans arranged by UK banks to overseas borrowers to finance the purchase of capital goods and related services. These enable the exporter to offer credit to an overseas buyer while receiving cash payments via the lending bank. (iii) insurance against political risks for UK companies investing overseas.
Credit insurance for such exports is also available from private sector providers.
As announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in September this year, from April 2003, ECGD will make available cover for at least £50 million of exports each year for projects in the renewables sector which meet its minimum risk standards.