| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
21 July 2009 : Column 1642W—continued
The events giving rise to these prosecutions did not necessarily involve pollution. Events involving environmental pollution are primarily matters for the appropriate environmental agency.
Nuclear Power: Finance
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink), of 13 July 2009, Official Report, column 38, on the G8 Summit, whether the £20 billion to be spent on nuclear power in the UK in the next few years will be from public funds. [287603]
Mr. Kidney: As stated in the Nuclear White Paper, it will be for energy companies to fund, develop and build new nuclear power stations in the UK. Government estimates show that to replace existing capacity alone, £21 billion will need to be invested by energy companies.
Nuclear Power: Industrial Health and Safety
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the very small risks are which his Department has judged new nuclear power plants would pose in respect of safety, health, proliferation and security, as referred to on page 63 in chapter 2 of the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan. [288593]
Mr. Kidney: The small risks referred to are those set out at page 22 and pages 74-80 of the 2008 White Paper on Nuclear Power.
Nuclear Power: Security
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the level of security of UK nuclear facilities from radiation leaks in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [288716]
Mr. Kidney: The Health and Safety Executive, who have responsibility for the day to day regulation of the nuclear industry, make regular assessments on the causes of incidents, including leaks, within the nuclear industry. Through HSE's programme of regular inspection of nuclear facilities they are able to ensure that nuclear operators are complying with relevant health, safety and security legislation and ensure that industry, as a whole, learns from individual incidents. Ministers in DECC periodically meet with HSE to ensure that the framework in place remains robust in managing the risk of future leaks.
Nuclear Power: Waste Disposal
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what categories of costs will be included in the full share of waste management and disposal cost, which energy companies funding, developing and building new nuclear power stations will be required to meet, as referred to on page 63 of the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan. [288594]
Mr. Kidney: The Government consider that an operator's full share of waste management and disposal costs is:
the costs that are directly attributable to disposing of new build higher activity waste into a geological disposal facility;
a contribution towards the fixed costs of constructing such a geological disposal facility;
a significant risk premium over and above these costs to take account of uncertainties around the cost of constructing such a facility and the time when it will be able to accept new build waste; and
the cost of managing that waste pending disposal (or pending transfer for disposal).
Separately, operators are also responsible for the full cost of disposing of low level waste in a disposal facility and managing this waste pending its disposal.
Nuclear Reactors
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how close to sea level each of the UK's (a) existing and (b) planned (i) nuclear reactors and (ii) nuclear waste storage facilities is; and if he will make a statement. [288715]
Mr. Kidney: A simple comparison of sea level with ground level can be misleading, as it takes no account of local sea defences or local topography, both of which will be influential in determining the likelihood and magnitude of any flooding either on the site or its immediate environs.
The safety of existing sites (including associated on- site waste storage and the low level waste repository near the village of Drigg) regarding sea level and flood risk is monitored by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate. A site or sites for geological disposal of higher activity radioactive waste has not yet been identified. The design and safety case for any facility will consider the effects of sea levels, and changes in sea levels, on operational and post closure performance.
The Government are running a strategic siting assessment to identify sites that are potentially suitable for the deployment of new nuclear power stations. The Government response to the consultation on the SSA criteria and process:
outlined that nominated sites would be assessed against their capacity to be protected against flood risk, tsunami and storm surge. This includes consideration of the potential effects of climate change, throughout the lifetime of the station including allowing for the safe and secure storage of all the spent fuel and intermediate level waste produced from operation and decommissioning until it can be sent for final disposal in a geological disposal facility (GDF). Nominators have provided information about the ground level of nominated sites, and this is available at:
Ofgem: Scotland
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with Ofgem on the Scottish Power Pay in Advance tariff; and what his policy is on the licensing of Scottish Power to hold client money. [286257]
Mr. Kidney: I have not discussed this tariff with Ofgem. However, in our White Paper 'A better deal for Consumers' published in July, the Government undertook to reassess the regulatory framework for prepayments in general, taking account of advice from the Office of Fair Trading and the Financial Services Authority and the recommendations to be contained within Consumer Focus's forthcoming report on the prepayments market. This report is expected this summer. The Government will work with the full range of stakeholders to assess what regulatory action would be sensible and practicable.
Renewable Energy
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what percentage of the UK's electricity demand he expects to be met from electricity generation supported by new feed-in tariffs by 2020. [288185]
Mr. Kidney [holding answer 20 July 2009]: As stated in the UK Renewable Energy Strategy, our central scenario includes a contribution from small scale renewable electricity generation of 2 per cent. of our electricity supply in 2020.
In line with this we have proposed feed-in tariff levels in our Renewable Financial Incentives consultation available at
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change where his Department's Office for Renewable Energy Deployment will be based; who its director is; how many staff at each grade it will have; what budgetary allocations have been made for it over what period; and what arrangements the Office will establish for communications with the public and interested parties. [288569]
Mr. Kidney: The Office for Renewable Energy Deployment (ORED) will be based in the Department of Energy and Climate Change. ORED will be headed by a chief executive, Simon Virley, and the recruitment of a non-executive expert chair of ORED is under way. Staffing, budgets and other arrangements are currently being finalised.
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of (a) energy and (b) electricity in (i) the UK and (ii) each region came from renewable sources in each year since 1997. [289010]
Mr. Kidney: Information on the electricity generated from renewable sources as a percentage of all electricity generated in the UK and the proportion of primary energy demand accounted for by non-waste renewable sources in each year since 1997 is shown in table 1. Also shown are the data from 2004 onwards which monitor progress against the EU Renewable Energy Directive; the directive uses different definitions to the data available from 1997.
Data on electricity generation are not available at a regional level, since information at this level is disclosive. However information is available that shows the proportion of electricity generated in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland which came from all renewable sources for 2004 to 2007; this is shown in table 2. Data on all energy generation by region or country are not available.
| Table 2: Percentage of electricity generated in each country obtained from renewable sources | ||||
| Percentage | ||||
| England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | |
| Source: December 2008 edition of Energy Trends. | ||||
Renewable Energy: Hampshire
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to exploit renewable sources of energy in the ceremonial county of Hampshire; and whether sites have been identified for the development of renewable energy sources within the county. [288896]
Mr. Kidney: On 15 July we published our Renewable Energy Strategy detailing an action plan for increasing renewable energy deployment throughout the UK, including measures at local and regional level.
However, it is for the market to bring forward proposals for renewable energy projects in specific areas.
Renewable Energy: Ministerial Responsibilities
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the hon. Member for Nottingham South (Alan Simpson) was appointed to the post of special adviser on renewable energy and feed-in tariffs; how many meetings (a) he and (b) his Department's officials have had with the special adviser since his appointment; and what advice the adviser has provided since appointment. [287715]
Mr. Kidney
[holding answer 20 July 2009]: DECC Ministers have frequent meetings with parliamentary colleagues. My hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, South (Alan Simpson) has not held meetings with officials.
My hon. Friend is not employed as a special adviser but has had discussions with my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien) on the subject of feed-in tariffs since the passage of the Energy Act 2008.
River Severn: Tidal Power
John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish the Government's response to the public consultation on the scope of the Severn Tidal Power feasibility study. [285434]
Mr. Kidney: The Government response to the public consultation on Severn tidal power was published on 15 July alongside the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan and the Renewable Energy Strategy. The Government response confirms high level analysis of the impact of three barrages and two lagoons and work to bring forward three further schemes using embryonic technologies-two tidal fences and a low head barrage.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |