§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much Ayrshire coal is burned in Northern Ireland power stations; and what plans the electricity authority has for reducing coal burn over the next five years.
§ Mr. ConcannonThe Northern Ireland Electricity Service has informed me that Ayrshire is the source of all its power station coal and that approximately 290,000 tons will be burned in the present calendar year. The service estimates that there will be similar level of burn in 1977 and in 1978 the figure is expected to be around 250,000 tons.
It is not possible to give a firm prediction for subsequent years owing to uncertainty about the future price differential of competing fuels.