I propose to take Priority Question No. 9 and Question No. 24 together.
The estimated capital cost of installing desulphurisation equipment at Moneypoint would be £150 million for retrofitting, including interest during construction. The additional operating costs at the station would be about £15 million per annum. Replacement generation costs caused by temporary plant shutdown for the purposes of installation of the equipment are estimated at £10 million for each of the three closures.
The effect of desulphurisation equipment on discharges to the atmosphere from Moneypoint would be to reduce the annual emissions of sulphur dioxide from the station by about 33,000 tonnes. There will, on the other hand, be an increase in the annual emissions of carbon dioxide, a contributor to the greenhouse effect, by about 23,000 tonnes. In addition, there would be some additional CO2 emissions from other generating plants to compensate for efficiency losses at Moneypoint which could result from the installation of FGD equipment. There would also be additional waste disposal problems due to limestone and liquid effluents arising from the process of desulphurisation.