HC Deb 12 April 1976 vol 909 c379W
Mr. Rost

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish figures of the thermal efficiency of electricity generation in the public sector in the EEC countries for each of the past five available years, in order to indicate if the percentage gap between the thermal efficiency in the United Kingdom and other EEC countries is narrowing or widening.

AVERAGE THERMAL EFFICIENCY
1970 1971 1972 1973 (Percentage 1974
Germany 33.3 33.9 33.9 34.3 34.5
France 36.9 37.2 37.5 37.5 37.7
Italy 35.7 36.1 36.4 36.6 36.3
Netherlands 35.0 35.5 35.7 36.4 36.6
Belgium 35.5 35.1 35.5 36.1 36.3
Luxembourg
United Kingdom 29.6 30.6 30.8 31.7 32.0
Ireland 30.3 29.2 30.9 30.1 30.6
Denmark 36.6 38.2 38.4 37.5 38.2
Europe 9 32.6 33.3 33.7 34.3 34.5

As I told the hon. Member on 5th April—[Vol. 909, c. 52]—it is extremely difficult to make meaningful international comparisons of thermal efficiency, and changes in the percentage gap between the United Kingdom and other countries could be quite misleading. In discussing the CEGB's efficiency, the Plowden Report acknowledges—4.15–4.19—the difficulty of putting comparisons on to a fair basis. One must, for instance, take into account the proportion of hydroelectric plant in a given system.