Coal Stocks (Hansard, 9 July 1979)

§ Mr. John H. Osborn
asked the Secretary of State for Energy what are the 28W total coal stocks, whether at pit-head, merchants or power stations; and how this compares with the coal stocks on 1 January and on 1 January of the preceding five years.

§ Mr. John Moore
Coal stock statistics are published in the Department's monthly statistical bulletin " Energy Trends " copies of which are available in the Library of the House. Statistics of stocks held by merchants are not available.
For convenience, the available figures are given in the following table:

TOTAL COAL STOCKS—GREAT BRITAIN^*

Million tonnes

End December 1973 27.9

End December 1974 21.8

End December 1975 31.2

End December 1976 33.1

End December 1977 31.5

End December 1978 34.5

23 June 1979 27.6

^* Excluding stocks held by merchants and by industrial and domestic consumers.

§ Mr. John H. Osborn
asked the Secretary of State for Energy what are the coal stocks in each of the countries of the European Economic Community and in total.

§ Mr. John Moore
The following is the latest available information:

Producers, hard coal stocks at 30 April 1979(a) million tonnes

Germany 14.5

France 4.2

Belgium 0.2

United Kingdom 14.7

EEC 33.6

(a) Stocks held at mines, opencast sites, central stocking grounds and at pithead power stations and pithead coking and patient fuel plants. Producers' stocks in other EEC countries are negligible. Source: statistical office of the European Communities.
Information is not available about the current levels of consumers' coal stocks in the EEC.

§ Mr. John H. Osborn
asked the Secretary of State for Energy what are now the coal stocks at power stations in the United Kingdom; and how this figure compares with 1 January and 1 January on each of the preceding five years.
29W

§ Mr. John Moore
Public supply power station coal stock statistics are published in the Department's monthly statistical bulletin " Energy Trends ", copies of which are available in the Library of the House. For convenience the available figures are given in the following table:

Public Supply power station coal stocks: Great Britain (million tonnes)

End December,

1973 14.8

1974 13.6

1975 18.0

1976 19.6

1977 19.1

1978 20.2

23 June

1979 12.9

TOTAL COAL STOCKS—GREAT BRITAIN^*
	Million tonnes
End December 1973	27.9
End December 1974	21.8
End December 1975	31.2
End December 1976	33.1
End December 1977	31.5
End December 1978	34.5
23 June 1979	27.6
^* Excluding stocks held by merchants and by industrial and domestic consumers.

	Producers, hard coal stocks at 30 April 1979(a) million tonnes
Germany	14.5
France	4.2
Belgium	0.2
United Kingdom	14.7
EEC	33.6

Public Supply power station coal stocks: Great Britain (million tonnes)
End December,
1973	14.8
1974	13.6
1975	18.0
1976	19.6
1977	19.1
1978	20.2