HC Deb 23 July 1987 vol 120 cc364-5W
Mr. Skinner

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the level of coal imports for the last 12 months (a) by country of origin, (b) by tonnage and (c) by cost per tonne.

Mr. Michael Spicer

Coal imports into the United Kingdom during the period May 1986 to April 1987 inclusive (the latest 12 months for which statistics are currently available) were as shown in the following table.

Country of Origin '000 tonnes Average cost per tonne 1£
Australia 3614 36.84
USA 3267 37.36
Poland 1082 41.44
Canada 445 35.65
Federal Republic of Germany 333 105.69
Netherlands 203 38.17
South Africa 170 36.40
Belgium/Luxembourg 156 46.07
Bulgaria 144 33.84
Soviet Union 37 31.35
Colombia 31 36.72
France 23 60.05
Country of Origin '000 tonnes Average cost per tonne 1£
China 23 89.61
German Democratic Republic 19 22.84
Eire 11 69.64
Other Countries2 29 59.05
Total 39588 40.24
1 At the United Kingdom port of entry.
2 Nine countries, each of which supplied less than 10,000 tonnes of coal to the United Kingdom in the period May 1986 to April 1987.
3 Total differs from sum of components due to rounding.

Most of the coal imported into the United Kingdom is anthracite and coking coal rather than ordinary steam coal. Anthracite (naturally smokeless coal with a high heat content per tonne) commands a particularly high price. It is imported from a variety of countries and represents most of the coal imported from West Germany and China during the 12 months in question.

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