§ Mr. ChurchillTo ask the President of the Board of Trade by how much the price of British coal, delivered to the power station, has increased or decreased in each of the past six years expressed as an index, taking 1985–86 as 100; and what has been the equivalent increase or decrease in the price of electricity to the domestic consumer.
486W
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 4 December 1992]: The available information expressed in 1985 prices, is as follows:
Average Prices of All Coal Purchased by Major Electricity Generating Companies: Fuel Price Index for Domestic Electricity: Index 1985=100 1985 100 100 1986 98 99 1987 88 94 1988 89 93 1989 81 93 1990 73 94 1991 68 97 Deflated by the GDP (market prices) deflator.
Source: Based on information published in Energy Trends Tables 26 and 28.
The cost of fuels such as coal represents less than a third of the total price of electricity to domestic consumers, and is only one of the many factors that dictate the final price.