§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what the ratio of gross domestic product to energy consumption had been in the United Kingdom for the period 1973 to 1988; and what are the projections for 1990, 1995 and the year 2000.
§ Mr. ParkinsonThe information requested is published as the energy ratio in theDigest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics. The data for 1987 are currently in preparation. For the period 1973 to 1986 the published figures are as follows:
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Tonnes of coal equivalent per £1,000 GDP1 Tonnes 1973 1.9 1974 1.8 1975 1.8 1976 1.8 1977 1.8 1978 1.7 1979 1.7 1980 1.6 1981 1.6 1982 1.6 1983 1.5 1984 1.5 1985 1.5 1986 1.5
Million tonnes coal equivalent 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 Petrol 30.1 29.3 28.7 30.0 30.9 32.7 33.3 34.1 Diesel1 12.7 12.6 12.6 13.0 13.2 13.4 13.8 13.3 1 Includes gas oil/diesel use by railways and road and water transport, but excludes aviation fuels and gas oil used in the agriculture sector.
1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 Petrol 33.3 34.3 34.8 36.0 36.3 38.2 39.7 Diesel1 12.5 12.8 13.7 14.7 15.3 16.4 17.3 1 Includes gas oil/diesel use by railways and road and water transport, but excludes aviation fuels and gas oil used in the agriculture sector. Consumption of electricity and liquefied petroleum gas in transport was very small, approximately 0.4 million tonnes coal equivalent and less than 0.05 million tonnes coal equivalent respectively in each of the years shown.
Projections of future fuel consumption levels are subject to considerable uncertainty. My Department does not normally publish energy forecasts. However, it did make available some conditional projections, including ones for transport, for the years 1990 and 2000 as part of the proof of evidence to the Sizewell B public inquiry, ref. DEN/P/1.