Coal plants to be unavailable for winter supply squeeze
Two British coal plant operators, whose plants were available last winter, have confirmed they will be unable to provide back-up power for winter 2023/24, National Grid said on Wednesday.
The National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) said earlier this month it expects the country to have enough electricity to meet supply in winter, but that it was in discussions about the availability of some coal units.
“Both operators have confirmed that they will not be able to make their coal units available for a further winter and have begun the decommissioning process,” an ESO spokesperson said.
The operators, EDF and Drax officially closed their plants at the end of March.
Uniper’s Ratcliffe coal plant is likely to be available under a separate capacity market system over winter.
The UK has a target to close its coal-fired power plants by October 2024 as part of efforts to cut fossil fuel emissions and meet its 2050 net-zero target.
Reuters – Susanna Twidale