§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the current price per gigajoule of deep-mined coal sold by British Coal to the main electricity generating undertakings, and the price at 1992 prices expected to be charged following implementation of its plans for pit closures.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 19 October 1992]: The prices paid by the electricity industry to individual coal suppliers are confidential to the companies concerned. The average price of all coal purchased by the major United Kingdom electricity generating companies is however published in table 26 of "Energy Trends", the Department's monthly statistical bulletin. In the second quarter of 1992 the average price was £1.81 per gigajoule.
Equivalent prices for the second quarter of next year will not be known until the necessary returns have been made, but the prices are likely to be substantially lower.