HC Deb 24 March 2003 vol 402 cc27-8W
Keith Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of power was produced by(a) coal, (b) oil and (c) nuclear power plants in the United Kingdom in the last year for which figures are available; how many (i) coal, (ii) oil and (iii) nuclear power plants operate in the UK; and what the lifespan is of each. [103925]

Mr. Wilson

The available information on electricity supplied from particular types of plant is as follows and relates to 2002.

Percentage of electricity supplied Number of power plants1
Coal 32 20
Oil 1 29
Nuclear 22 14
1 Only covers stations of more than 1MW capacity. Mixed fired coal/oil and coal/gas fired stations have been included under coal and similarly mixed oil/gas fired stations are counted under oil. Oil plants include single cycle gas fired stations as well as diesel and kerosene fired stations. Data are as at end May 2002.

Source:

Energy Trends Table 5.1 and Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2002, Table 5.10. Generation data for 2002 are provisional.

Information on the lifespan of coal and oil plants is not available as it is a technical and commercial matter for the individual companies concerned. Nuclear plants operate under licences and the latest published company information on expected station closure dates is as shown below.

Power station Expected date of closure
British Energy
Dungeness B 2008
Hunterston 2011
HinkleyB 2011
Heysham 1 2014
Hartlepool 2014
Heysham 2 2023
Torness 2023
Sizewell B 2035
British Nuclear Fuels
Calder Hall End March 2003
Chapelcross 2005
Sizewell A 2006
Dungeness A 2006
Oldbury 2008
Wylfa 2010