HC Deb 11 December 1992 vol 215 cc833-4W
Mr. Churchill

To ask the President of the Board of Trade by how much in percentage terms industrial electricity prices have increased between April 1989 and April 1992 in respect of(a) large users, greater than 10 MW and (b) small users, less than 10 MW.

Mr. Eggar

[holding answer 10 December 1992]: The available information is for four sizes of consumer. In real terms the percentage changes in prices between the second quarter of 1989 and the second quarter of 1992 have been as follows:

Size of consumer1 Average percentage increase/ decrease2
Small Less than 880 kWh +9.3
Medium 880 kWh to 8,800 kWh -11.5
Moderately large 8,800 kWh to 150,000 kWh -15.9
Extra large Greater than 150,000 kWh -11.0
1 The size bands for consumers are defined in terms of the approximate annual purchases by the consumers within them.
2 The percentage increase/decrease has been converted to real terms by excluding the effect of general inflation as measured by the GDP deflator at market prices.

Source: Energy Trends table 25.

Mr. Churchill

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the average price paid for electricity by large industrial electricity consumers (over 10 MW per site); and what are the equivalent tariffs among the United Kingdom's principal EC competitors.

Mr. Eggar

[holding answer 10 December 1992]: The available information is given below. The prices relate to a standard consumer of 50 gigawatt hours per annum with a maximum demand of 10 megawatts for 5,000 hours a year. Prices are as at 1 July 1992 and have been calculated using average rates of exchange for July 1992.

ECUs per 100 kilowatt hours Pence per kilowatt hour
Netherlands 4.41 3.15
Luxembourg 4.62 3.30
France 4.81 3.44
Belgium 4.87 3.48
Greece 5.21 3.72
Ireland 5.27 3.76
United Kingdom 5.40 3.86
Italy 7.09 5.06
Spain 7.92 5.66
Germany 8.14 5.81
Denmark 8.22 5.87
Portugal 8.27 5.91

Source: Eurostat: Rapid Report Energy and Industry 1992/31.

It should be noted that prices paid by consumers using more than 50 gigawatt hours per annum, both in the United Kingdom and overseas, may vary according to the size of consumer and their pattern of use.

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