§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will list the price to bulk users in the United States of America, each European Economic Community country and Japan of coal, electricity, fuel oil, gas and diesel, according to his latest estimates.
§ Mr. Norman Lamont[pursuant to his reply, 15 January 1981]: Estimates of up-to-date industrial bulk user prices for all fuels in each country collected on a reasonably comparable basis are not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The latest available European price data for coal is drawn from an EEC bulletin "Carnet de Prix" and relates to pithead prices at 1 October 1980 and is shown in the table below. The price quoted for coal in the USA is based on the September 1980 average pit head price of metallurgical coal—high volatility—and may not be comparable with EEC figures.
Electricity price figures are based on a survey conducted by the Electricity Council and relate to tariffs in force on 1 August 1980.
The heavy fuel oil price data below are drawn from the EEC weekly "Commission Oil Bulletin" and relates to prices at 12 January 1981 for a consumption of 24,000 tonnes per annum; the information is compiled from informal price estimates. International consumer prices for greater annual consumption levels are not available to my Department. The figure quoted for Japan is the average price charged to industrial consumers for residual fuel oil—high sulphur content—in the Tokyo area at the beginning of January 1981 and may not be comparable with EEC figures.
For the latest information on natural gas prices to industrial consumers I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to the hon. Member for Aberdeenshire, East (Mr. McQuarrie) on 19 December 1980 and to the right hon. Member for Doncaster (Mr. Walker) on 31 July 1980.—[Vol. 989, c. 801–4.] Comparable data for USA and Japan are not available.
International price data for industrial bulk purchases of diesel oil are not available.
It must always be borne in mind when making international price comparisons that difficulties can arise in times of changing prices and exchange rate fluctuations. There can, moreover, be a wide range of prices within countries and differences in the methods of collecting the data in each country may not always provide comparable figures.
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Coal (£ per tonne)‡ Electricity (pence per Kwh) § Maximum Demand Heavy Fuel OilOil≑ Fuel High Volatile 6/10mm (pithead price) Coking coal (pithead price) 500Kw 60 per cent. load 2,500 Kw 60 per cent. load (£/ tonne) Date of Estimates 1 October 1980 1 October 1980 1 August 1980 1 August 1980 12 January 1981 United Kingdom 41.1 42.9 2.70–3.28 2.60–3.26 92.3 United States of America 15.3 n.a. 2.14–3.57 1.94–3.57 #75.3 Japan n.a. n.a. 3.32–3.84 3.23–3.63 108.0 * National Currencies have been converted at exchange rates on or near the date of estimated prices. † Fuel price data for Greece is not available. ‡ Source: EEC bulletin "Carnet de Prix": "Coal Week" for USA pithead price. § Source: Electricity Council—The price range for Denmark includes special Electricity Tax; German price range includes coal support tax. ≑ Source: EEC weekly commission oil bulletin; Anglo-Japanese Economic Institute. ¶ Includes duty of £28.1 which is rebated to VAT-registered traders. # Source: Monthly Energy Review (November 1980) price at July 1980 which is the latest available, excluding taxes.