HC Deb 13 May 2002 vol 385 cc459-61W
Mr. Chaytor

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for each of the last five years, how much financial support and what percentage of the whole allocation her Department allocated for research and development as sources of energy of(a) wind, (b) wave, (c) biomass, (d) solar, (e) hydrogen, (f) nuclear, (g) coal and (h) gas; and in each case what percentage this represented of the whole sum spent on such matters by her. [53825]

Mr. Wilson

Over the last five years, the Department of Trade and Industry has spent the following amounts on energy research and development, covering renewable

DTI expenditure on energy R and D1
(£ million) 1997–98 (Percentage) (£ million) 1998–99 (Percentage) (£ million) 1999–2000 (Percentage) (£ million) 2000–01 (Percentage) (£ million) 2001–02 (Percentage)
Sustainable energy
DTI programme 13.0 35.3 11.3 36.9 12.5 38.6 13.1 39.7 12.2 34.4
Research Councils 2.9 7.9 3.1 10.1 2.4 7.4 2.8 8.5 5.0 14.1
Total 15.9 43.2 14.4 47.1 14.9 46.0 15.9 48.2 17.2 48.6
Nuclear fusion 16.6 45.1 12.6 41.2 14.4 44.4 14.3 43.3 14.3 40.4
Coal2 4.1 11.1 3.4 11.1 2.9 9.0 2.6 7.9 3.7 10.5
Oil and gas 0.2 0.5 0.2 0.7 0.2 0.6 0.2 0.6 0.2 0.6
Total 36.8 100 30.6 100 32.4 100 33.0 100 35.4 100
1£ million and percentage of total DTI energy R and D spend for the year.
2Cleaner Coal programme.

Notes:

  1. 1. The DTI Sustainable Energy Programme supports work on export promotion and technology transfer as well as projects relating to specific renewable energy technologies. Figures include programme management costs.
  2. 2. The figures for oil and gas relate to the SHARP programme covering improved oil recovery and gas research.
  3. 3. There may also be some Research Council supported R and D relating to coal, oil and gas.
  4. 4.2001–02 figures are subject to revision.

(including wind, wave, biomass, solar and hydrogen); nuclear (where DTI spending has been confined to research on fusion); coal; and oil and gas. The table gives the percentages spent in each of these categories.

The DTI supports research and development on sustainable energy technologies both through its Sustainable Energy Programme and through the Research Councils. Over the last five years, expenditure through the programme on wind energy has been in the range £1.2 million to £1.7 million per year; on wave energy, in the range £0 to £0.9 million per year; on biomass, in the range £1.8 million to £2.2 million per year; on solar, in the range £1.4 to £2 million per year; and on fuel cells (including some expenditure on hydrogen), in the range £1.2 million to £1.8 million per year. Relevant work supported through the Research Councils would be additional to these figures. The Sustainable Energy Programme also supports cross-technology work in the areas of technology transfer, export promotion and policy support.

Provision for research and development through the Sustainable Energy Programme increases to £19 million for 2002–03 and through the Research Councils to £5.6 million. Additionally, the DTI has been assigned a further £5 million over three years for wave and tidal demonstration projects and a further £4 million for net metering, storage and control demonstration projects.

The Government have also set up capital grants programmes in the following areas to bring forward new renewable energy technologies:

£74 million for offshore wind (including £10 million from the New Opportunities Fund);£69 million for bioenergy (including £36 million from the new opportunities Fund and £3 million for biomass heating);£20 million for photovoltaics (PV).

The R and D and capital grants programmes supplement the substantial boost for renewable energy being provided by the Renewables Obligation. Estimated maximum payments available under the Renewables Obligation for England and Wales and the corresponding Renewables Obligation (Scotland) for 2002–03 are £282 million. The level of the Obligation is set to rise each year to 2010-11, when maximum payments for the year are estimated to reach £1 billion.