§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy what he estimates will be the coal burn in United Kingdom power stations in 1980, 1985, 1990 and 1995.
§ Mr. John MooreCoal burn in power stations depends on the demand for electricity, the availability of generating capacity, and the price and availability of competing power station fuels. In 1979 the United Kingdom power station coal burn was about 89 million tonnes, and it is expected not to be very different in 1980. For the longer term my Department has estimated that the United Kingdom coal burn could lie between 80 million and 94 million tonnes in 1990 and between 65 million and 78 million tonnes in 2000, depending on developments in economic growth. These ranges are based on average economic growth rates over the period to the end of the century of between 1 per cent. and 2.7 per cent per annum.