§ Mr. Richard Shepherdasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he is satisfied with the level of coal stocks and with coal output levels; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. John Moore, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 27 June 1979], gave the following information:
As a result of the severe winter and transport problems coal stocks are lower than at this time last year. The comparison is:
Million tonnes Undistributed stocks Distributed stocks Total stocks 17 June 1978 10.9 20.6 31.5 16 June 1979 12.8 14.6 27.4 (Excluding stocks held by merchants and by industrial and domestic consumers) However, the National Coal Board is aiming at combined deep-mined and opencast output of 122 million tonnes in 1979–80, 3.4 million tonnes more than in 1978–79 on a comparative 52 weeks basis. Licensed mines should add 1 million tonnes to total output.
In close co-operation with the CEGB and British Rail, the National Coal Board is aiming to supply 75 million tonnes to CEGB power stations in 1979–80, 5 million tonnes more than last year; and the electricity boards are importing some coal to help rebuild stocks.
The National Coal Board is also making special efforts to ensure that industrial and domestic users are adequately supplied.
The overall prospect is that there should be sufficient coal to meet demand this winter.
§ Mr. Richard Shepherdasked the Secretary of State for Energy what estimate he has made of the total output of coal by deep mining and opencast mining, respectively, in the current year; and what advice he has received on the likely trend in coal production between now and the end of the century.
§ Mr. John Moore, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 27 June 1979], gave the following information:
The NCB estimates that colliery output in 1979–80 will be about 108 million tonnes, and that output from opencast mines will be about 14 million tonnes.
Under Plan for Coal, the board is aiming at a target of 135 million tonnes total output which it expects to achieve in the latter half of the 1980s, and it has put forward plans for investment to secure 437W further increases in production by the end of the century.