§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy what percentage of European Community electricity is produced from (a) coal, (b) oil, (c) natural gas and (d) nuclear; and how the position is expected to change within 10 years.
§ Mr. Norman LamontIn 1977, 41 per cent. of the European Community's electricity was produced from solid fuels (of which, 31 per cent. was from hard coal), 23 per cent. from oil and 12 per cent. from natural gas. Nuclear electricity represented 10 per cent. of total electricity production.
Comparable figures for 1978 are not yet available but the following are the estimated proportions of total fuel use for electricity generation in the Community in that year and in 1990:
1978* 1990* per cent. per cent. Solid fuels 43 29 Oil 24 14 Gas 10 7 Nuclear electricity† 10 42/44 * EEC report "Energy objectives of the Community for 1990 and Convergence of Policies of Member States" (Ref. 7662/79) and other Commission estimates. † Notional input calculated from the average thermal efficiency of all conventional thermal electricity generation. The proportions of total electricity production attributable to these fuels may be slightly different because of the relative efficiencies of the power stations using them.