HC Deb 13 July 1978 vol 953 cc698-9W
Mr. Skeet

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the tonnage of metallurgical coke consumed in the United Kingdom in each of the past four years; and what percentage was derived from indigenous sources and from imports, respectively.

Mr. Eadie

The following table shows, for the last four years, the quantity of coke—including coke breeze—consumed by the iron and steel industry, and estimates of the percentage derived from imported coal:

Consumption (million tonnes) Estimate of percentage of consumption derived from imported coal
1974 10.5 6
1975 9.3 6
1976 10.5 9
1977 9.2 9

Mr. Skeet

asked the Secretary of State for Energy to what extent it has been proved feasible to produce metallurgical coke from general purpose coals.

Mr. Benn

It has not yet proved feasible to produce metallurgical coke from general purpose coals alone. Research in this country is showing that careful blending of such coals with coking coals is enabling larger proportions of the former to be used in manufacture of metallurgical coke in coke ovens than was hitherto thought possible, but even then the general purpose coals do not constitute the major part of the blend. Formed or briquetted coke processes offer the prospect of using mainly general purpose coals as the feedstock, but such cokes have yet to be proved satisfactory for consistent and efficient blast furnace operation.