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Explainer-in-brief: firing up the coal plants to stave off the dark of night

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One Of England's Last Coal Mines Extracts Final Load
Heavy plant machinery drives to tip its load of coal after it is extracted on the final day of mining operations at the Bradley Open Cast Mine on August 17, 2020 in Durham, England. The Banks Group, who own the mine had applied for permission to extend the life of its last mine in England until 2021 but the application was turned down earlier this summer. (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)

Six million British households could face power cuts this winter, as the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine send shockwaves across the energy supply chain.

This is bad news not only for the people affected, who could see their electricity cut in the early mornings and evenings, but also for the green transition. Keeping the grid going might mean a different future for the coal mines due to close in September – Kwasi Kwarteng has already asked their owners whether they could be kept open for longer.

The battle over the coal mine in Cumbria could also be shaped by the power cuts. The mine is popular with local residents but opposed by green groups and nationally by Labour. The need for alternative energy sources might galvanise support for it.

Nuclear power will also be in focus. But Hinkley Point C, the excruciatingly expensive new nuclear power station, will only start operating in 2027. So its sister Hinkley Point B, to be decommissioned this summer, might get an extension.