HC Deb 13 December 1976 vol 922 cc488-9W
Mr. Woof

asked the Secretary of State for Energy by what proportion electricity consumption has been reduce in the last 12 months; and what equivalent tonnage of coal this represents.

Mr. Eadie

Total sales of electricity by the public supply system in the year ended September 1976, the most recent full year for which figures are available, were 1.6 per cent. lower than in the corresponding preceding year.

It is not possible to relate this reduction directly to coal used in generation, since oil and other fuels are used in power stations. If all fuels used are expressed in terms of "coal or coal equivalent" there was a reduction between the two years of 3.4 million tons of coal equivalent.

Mr. Woof

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many million units of electricity per day were consumed in the month of October 1976; and how much coal was used in order to produce one million units of electricity.

Mr. Eadie

The average daily amount of electricity supplied by public supply power stations in the United Kingdom during the four weeks ending 24th October 1976 was 627 million units. I am writing to the Chairman of the Central Electricity Generating Board to ask him to provide the hon. Member with information about the coal consumed for every million units of electricity produced.

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