§ Gregory BarkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations her Department has received and by what measures she assesses the economic competitiveness of (i) nuclear, (ii) renewable, (iii) coal and (iv) fossil-fuel energy. [69455]
§ Mr. WilsonFollowing the Performance and Innovation Unit's Energy Review, the Government launched a consultation on energy policy on 14 May with a view to publishing a White Paper around the turn of the year. The consultation document states that competitiveness is a key objective of energy policy.
We shall shortly be posting the early replies which we have received to the consultation on the DTI's website, and a number of these have raised issues related to the competitiveness of different energy sources.
A key measure of competitiveness is relative cost but other aspects which may be relevant include market share, openness to trade, measures of productivity and levels of innovation.
Our view of the competitiveness of particular fuels is influenced by the extent to which external factors such as the impact on the environment or security are significant and have been taken into account.