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Why can a British factory pay so much more for electricity than a French one?
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A - Britain has almost no nuclear power
57 votes (24.5%)
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B - Britain imports nearly all its electricity
55 votes (23.6%)
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C - Britain puts far more policy costs on industrial bills
93 votes (39.9%)
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D - French factories receive free electricity from the state
28 votes (12.0%)
Total votes: 233
Answer: C — Britain puts far more policy costs on industrial bills
Explanation: Britain’s high industrial electricity prices aren’t simply because generating electricity here costs more. Policy costs added to electricity bills have historically been much higher for large UK industrial users than for competitors in countries such as France and Germany.
That matters to investors because electricity is a major input for industries such as steel, chemicals and advanced manufacturing. Cut those costs and you don’t just improve a factory’s margins — you can make whole industries more competitive, which is why cheaper power could have knock-on benefits throughout Britain’s industrial supply chain.