Written question asked by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 10 December 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 12 December 2007. It was answered by Malcolm Wicks (Labour) on Monday, 17 December 2007 on behalf of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Nuclear Power: Radioactive Wastes

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what projections he has made of annual volumes of (a) high, (b) intermediate and (c) low level nuclear waste that may arise from the introduction of a new generation of nuclear power stations.

Answer: It is the Government's position that, if we conclude private sector energy companies should be allowed to invest in nuclear power, it would be for private sector energy companies to bring forward plans to build any new nuclear power stations. This means that we cannot be sure of the number or design of stations that might be proposed, nor of the volumes of waste that could arise.In the consultation document, ““The Future of Nuclear Power””, we considered an example scenario that had been referenced in the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management's (CoRWM) Inventory Report which would rather more than replace existing nuclear capacity. For this estimated scenario, the CoRWM Inventory Report summary information document shows that it would, over the lifetime of the new stations, add 8 per cent. to the UK's existing volume of radioactive waste.In the event that the Government conclude in favour of allowing private sector energy companies to invest in new nuclear power stations, we will continue to explore these issues as part of our programme of facilitative actions.

Secondary information