§ Mr. Adam Butlerasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much oil is used in normal circumstances for electricity generation ; what is current consumption for this purpose ; how much could be saved by coal substitution, assuming adequate supplies ; and what all these figures represent as a proportion of the United Kingdom's total normal oil usage for all purposes.
§ Mr. Tom BoardmanIn 1972 United Kingdom public electricity supply used 18.6 million tons of oil. That represented 18 per cent. of our total inland consumption and was equivalent to 31.5 million tons of coal. The comparable figures for this year, based on consumption in the first three quarters, are 17 million tons of oil, equivalent to 28 million tons of coal. The amounts of oil and other fuels used 261W for electricity generation depend on many factors such as weather, availability and price of various fuels. If such conditions favoured maximum displacement of oil by coal it is possible that up to half of the oil would be displaced, i.e. up to about 10 per cent. of total inland oil demand.