§ Mr. Croninasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give figures indicating the average production cost per ton of coal mined in each quarter of 1976 and the first quarter of 1977 and the production cost, excluding tax, of North Sea oil in units of approximately the same energy equivalent as coal landed during the same periods.
79W
§ Mr. EadieThe National Coal Board does not publish quarterly assessments of the average production costs per ton of coal mined. These figures are, however, available on an annual basis in the Board's report and accounts. The accounts for 1976–77 have just been published and show average production cost, before interest to have been £18.87 a ton in that year; the equivalent figure for 1975–76 was £16.07.
It is not possible to derive production costs for North Sea oil which are directly comparable with those given for coal. However, for those North Sea fields which are in production or under development, unit production costs, including exploration, development operating costs and interest, but excluding taxes are estimated, at 1976 prices, to lie in the range £8-£24 per ton of coal equivalent.