HC Deb 14 January 1980 vol 976 cc584-7W
Mr. John H. Osborn

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will tabulate in the Official Reportthe amount and value of electricity exported from and imported to the United Kingdom, indicating the net position, for each year since 1970, and in total; and if he will give his forecasts for the rest of the century;

(2) if he will tabulate in the Official Report the tonnage and value of crude oil and refined petroleum products exported from and imported into the United Kingdom in each year of the 1970s, indicating the net portion and the total; and if he will indicate his forecast for the rest of the century;

(3) if he will tabulate in the Official Report the quantity and value of natural gas, including liquid petroleum gases, exported from and imported into the United Kingdom, indicating the net quantities for each year in the 1970s and in total; and what is his forecast for the rest of the century;

(4) if he will list in the Official Reportthe tonnage and value of coal and solid fossil fuel products exported from and imported into the United Kingdom for each year in the 1970s and in total; and if he will indicate his forecast for the rest of the century;

(5) if he will tabulate, in millions of tons of coal equivalent by weight and value, the energy exported from and imported into the United Kingdom, indicating the net position, in each year of the 1970s and in total, together with his forecast for the rest of the century.

Mr. David Howell

The information requested for the years 1970 to 1978 is tabulated in terms of million tonnes of coal equivalent and in £million. The uncertainties attached to the determinants of imports and exports and prices in the future are very large and it would not be helpful to make forecasts for separate fuels. However, my Department's recent publication "Energy Pro-

UNITED KINGDOM FOREIGN TRADE IN ENERGY*
Million tonnes of coal equivalent
Coal, Coke and Briquettes Gas, Natural and Manufactured Petroleum and Petroleum Products Electrical Energy Total
Imports:
1970 … 0.1 1.9 210.1 0.1 212.2
1971 … 4.6 1.8 219.6 — 226.0
1972 … 5.4 1.7 216.0 0.1 223.2
1973 … 1.9 1–8 230.8 — 234.5
1974 … 3.7 1.4 219.3 — 224.4
1975 … 5.2 1.7 175.3 — 182.2
1976 … 2.9 2.1 174.6 — 179.6
1977 … 2.5 2.8 143.6 — 148.9
1978 … 2.4 7.2 137.2 — 146.8
TOTAL … 28.7 22.4 1,726.5 0.2 1,777.8
Exports:
1970 … 4.5 0.2 31.4 — 36.1
1971 … 3.4 0.2 31.2 — 34.8
1972 … 2.2 0.3 32.9 — 35.4
1973 … 3.5 0.4 33.7 — 37.6
1974 … 3.8 0.4 27.4 — 31.6
1975 … 3.8 0.4 25.5 — 29.7
1975 … 2.6 0.7 33.4 — 36.7
1977 … 2.7 0.9 51.2 — 54.8
1978 … 3.3 1.5 63.2 — 68.0
TOTAL … 29.8 5.0 329.9 — 364.7
Net Imports:
1970 … -4.4 1.7 178.7 0.1 176.1
1971 … 1.2 1.6 188.4 — 191.2
1972 … 3.2 1.4 183.1 0.1 187.8
1973 … -1.6 1.4 197.1 — 196.9
1974 … -0.1 1.0 191.9 — 192.8
1975 … 1.4 1.3 149.8 — 152.5
1976 … 0.3 1.4 141.2 — 142.9
1977 … -0.2 1.9 92.4 — 94.1
1978 … -0.9 5.7 74.0 — 78.8
TOTAL … -1.1 17.4 1,396.6 0.2 1,413.1

£ million†
Coal, Coke and Briquettes Gas, Natural and Manufactured Petroleum and Petroleum Products Electrical Energy Total
Imports:
1970 … 1.9 15.3 924.3 1.6 943.1
1971 … 45.6 14.5 1,185.1 0.4 1,245.6
1972 … 57.3 14.6 1,166.3 1.7 1,239.9
1973 … 26.6 15.9 1,680.3 0.4 1,723.2
1974 … 66.2 24.1 4,537.2 0.4 4,627.9
1975 … 109.5 27.2 4,166.0 1.1 4,304.4
1976 … 85.9 43.4 5,511.6 — 5,640.9
1977 … 84.0 76.5 5,059.0 — 5,219.5
1978 … 82.1 212.4 4,529.6 — 4,823.7
Total … 559.1 443.9 28,759.6 5.6 29,768.2

jections 1979" contained forecast ranges of net total fuel imports of 15–50 mtce in 1990 and 35–120 mtce in 2000. The possible cost to the balance of payments in 1977 prices was postulated at £2½-£–8½ billion by the end of the century.

Coal, Coke and Briquettes Gas, Natural and Manufactured Petroleum and Petroleum Products Electrical Energy Total
Exports:
1970 … 29.0 1.4 176.3 — 206.7
1971 … 22.3 1.5 212.2 — 236.0
1972 … 17.0 2.3 219.2 — 238.5
1973 … 26.6 2.8 340.3 — 369.7
1974 … 63.5 8.2 696.0 — 767.7
1975 … 83.7 8.9 720.9 0.1 813.6
1976 … 71.7 20.3 1,161.5 1.1 1,254.6
1977 … 79.7 33.1 1,967.6 — 2,080.4
1978 … 90.3 49.1 2,235.3 — 2,374.7
TOTAL … 483.8 127.6 7,729.3 1.2 8,341.9
Net Imports:
1970 … -27.1 13.9 748.0 1.6 736.4
1971 … 23.3 13.0 972.9 0.4 1,009.6
1972 … 40.3 12.3 947.1 1.7 1,001.4
1973 … — 13.1 1,340.0 0.4 1,353.5
1974 … 2.7 15.9 3,841.2 0.4 3,860.0
1975 … 25.8 18.3 3,445.7 1.0 3,490.8
1976 … 14.2 23.1 4,350.1 -1.1 4,386.3
1977 … 4.3 43.4 3,091.4 — 3,139.1
1978 … -8.2 163.3 2,293.9 — 2,449.0
TOTAL … 75.3 316.3 21,030.3 4.4 21,426.3
* Including non-energy products such as lubricants and petro-chemical feed-stocks.
† Values current during each year.
Nil or less than 0.05.
Source: Her Majesty's Customs and Excise Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom.