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20 Apr 2009 : Column 318W—continued
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: Land
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his most recent estimate is of the market value of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority sites at (a) Wylfa, (b) Bradwell and (c) Oldbury; and by what date he expects these sites to have been sold. [266669]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The NDA is currently in the process of auctioning parcels of land adjacent to the licensed sites it owns at Wylfa, Bradwell and Oldbury.
It would be inappropriate at this point to disclose the estimated market value of that land or the current highest bids. The auction will end once a period of 24 hours has elapsed without a bid on any of the three lots. Once the auction is complete the NDA will make a statement.
Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what arrangements have been put in place for nuclear plant operators to set aside ring-fenced financial provision for the long-term onsite storage of spent fuel discharged from licensed reactors; and which regulator is responsible for ensuring necessary encapsulation of spent fuel at site is carried out. [268061]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The long-term storage of spent fuel on licensed nuclear sites is the responsibility of the operator, and is regulated by the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate.
Nuclear Power
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many times the Justification Co-ordination Committee for the Proposals for New Nuclear Reactors has met; which bodies are represented on the Committee; and if he will publish the Committee's agendas and minutes on his Department's website. [263557]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Justification Co-ordination Committee has met three times, on 17 June and 27 November 2008 and 10 March 2009. The bodies represented are my Department, the statutory consultees (Health and Safety Executive, Food Standards Agency, Health Protection Agency, Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Department for the Environment (Northern Ireland)), the Devolved Administrations, the Department for Transport and the Department of Health.
Material relating to the new nuclear Justification process, including meeting minutes, are available on my Department's website at
The November 2008 meeting took the form of a discussion of the Department's consultation document on the Nuclear Industry Association's application to justify new nuclear power stations, which was published on 17 December. No official record of the meeting was kept, although after the meeting we sent JCC members an e-mail confirming the meeting's conclusion that they should send us any final comments on the document. I have previously placed on the website, and in the House Library, a copy of the consultation document. This explains the part played by the JCC in helping my Department consider the NIA's application and in identifying where further information was needed. The questions which we asked as a result of this process, and the NIA's revised application, were also published as part of the consultation document.
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has for future levels of nuclear energy generation in the UK. [265440]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: In January 2008 the Government published the nuclear White Paper which explains that new nuclear should have a role in the UK’s future energy mix.
The Government are now taking active steps to facilitate nuclear new build as set out in the nuclear White Paper. No upper limit on the number of nuclear power stations that might come forward has been set. In the White Paper, the Government also explained how it was feasible that the first new nuclear power station might start generation around 2018.
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the evidential basis is for the statement in the Prime Minister's speech on nuclear energy on 17 March 2009 that the complete lifecycle emissions from nuclear power are only between two and six per cent. of those of gas for every unit of electricity generated. [265592]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The evidential basis for that figure is set out in the Sustainable Development Commission paper reference ‘The Role of Nuclear Power in a Low Carbon Economy, Paper 2: Reducing CO2 Emissions - Nuclear and the Alternatives, March 2006', taken from the nuclear consultation document ‘The role of nuclear power in a low carbon UK economy, May 2007' and as quoted in that document and illustrated in figure 2.1 on page 49.
Nuclear Power Stations: Decommissioning
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to announce the process by which the auction of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority sites at Wylfa, Bradwell and Oldbury is to be conducted; and if he will make a statement. [269202]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The process for the sale of land adjacent to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s sites at Wylfa, Bradwell and Oldbury was set out by the NDA in a press release on 26 November 2008. This is available on the NDA’s website at:
The process is now well under way. The auction will end once a period of 24 hours has elapsed without a bid on any of the three lots. Once the auction is complete, the NDA will make a statement.
Nuclear Power: Conferences
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place on his Department's website (a) a list of all invitees and (b) copies of all speeches and presentations made to the international nuclear fuel cycle conference at Lancaster House on 17 March. [265606]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 23 March 2009]: The International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Conference at Lancaster House (17-18( )March) was jointly organised by FCO and DECC. It was intended to promote further dialogue between supplier states and recipient states—notably, the so-called ‘nuclearising' states—on ‘securing safe access to peaceful power'.
Where speakers have given permission, copies of their speeches and presentations to the Conference are being placed on the FCO website. The conference speech given by the Prime Minster is, of course, already in the public domain and can be found on the Number 10 website.
We shall also place a full list of participating states, NGOs and Parliamentarians on the FCO website.
Nuclear Power: Consultants
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2009, Official Report, columns 1329-30, on nuclear power: consultants, what proportion of the amount of each contract had been recovered in fees on the latest date for which figures are available; and what proportion of the monetary value of each contract he expects to be recovered under fees regulations. [263399]
Jonathan Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has engaged a range of external bodies and individuals to assist it with various technical aspects, process assurance and organisation. The proportion value of each consultancy contract recovered in fees as of 31 December 2008, and the percentage value expected to be recovered under the fee regulations is as follows:
Additional costs above contract value for VTT and David Hughes were incurred as a result of contract extension.
The variance on the IAEA contract is due to currency exchange rate and bank charges.
Values in table are contract values not annual costs.
Nuclear Power: North West
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to support the provision of nuclear power in the North West. [266043]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 24 March 2009]: It is our policy to facilitate new nuclear build and we are taking active steps to do that, as set out in the Nuclear White Paper and the update that we published in January 2009.
The Strategic Siting Assessment will determine those sites that are strategically suitable for new build.
The Department, through the West Cumbria Strategic Forum, engages with this sub-region of the North West on various issues and we have encouraged their participation in recent consultations and reports to ensure that the areas views on new nuclear are understood and considered.
Nuclear Power: Regulation
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells, of 27 February 2009, Official Report, column 1138W, on nuclear power: regulation, how many pages there are in the review of nuclear regulation by Dr Tim Stone to which he refers. [262712]
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