§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Energy what are the latest estimated indigenous energy reserves of each
Solid fuels* (Million tonnes) Crude oil† (Million tonnes) Natural gas ‡ (Thousand million cubic metres) Uranium§ (Tonnes) Approximate energy content of measured reserves of non-renewable energy resources (Million Terajoules) Germany … 40,471 72 335 1,275 977 France … 478 8 154 54,825 68 Italy … 30 49 207 1,233 11 Netherlands … — 13 1,753 — 59 Belgium … 131 — — — 4 Luxembourg … — — — — — Denmark … — 17 25 — 2 Ireland … 12 — 32 — 2 United Kingdom … 45,000 1,380 809 — 1,412 TOTAL EEC … 86,122 1,539 3,315 57,333 2,535 * Recoverable reserves of hard coal, brown coal, lignite and peat. For Germany, the figure included for high ranking coals is based on a seam thickness of more than 0.6 metres, maximum depth of 1,500 metres, for exposed shaft zones and shaft reserve coal fields, while reserves of brown coal are set according to current opencast mining technology. For France, the figure covers economically exploitable tonnages except for mines that were to be closed in the near future, when the amounts included are those expected to be recovered up to the time of closure. The figure for the United Kingdom is the tonnage considered to be technically recoverable, whether or not access is available from existing collieries. † Proved recoverable reserves, including offshore. There is no significant recoverable potential for oil from oil shale and bituminous sands in the EEC. ‡ Proved recoverable reserves, including offshore. § Recoverable from reasonably assured reserves. — Nil or less than half the final digit shown. Sources: Survey of Energy Resources, 1974 and 1976, World Energy Conference. Development of oil and gas reserves of the United Kingdom 1977.