UK to run only one coal-fired power plant this winter

The UK will run just one coal-fired power plant, Uniper’s Ratcliffe-on-Soar plant in Nottinghamshire, over the coming winter, according to newspaper reports in the UK. This follows talks between National Grid ESO and both Drax and EDF to restart their coal units, the newspaper adds. Talks ended yesterday, with Drax concluding “that due to a combination of technical, maintenance and staffing reasons, the extension of coal over this winter was not possible” and it would, therefore, continue with the decommissioning of its plant near Selby, writes the Times. Following requests from ministers, the ESO had also looked to extend the life of coal units at EDF’s West Burton A plant in Nottinghamshire, but the operator ruled this out as decommissioning had already begun, continues the Times. The closures significantly reduce the coal fleet from its five contingency units on call last winter as the energy market “reeled” from the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine, notes Sky News. Fears of a new winter energy crisis are “mounting”, reports the Daily Mail, although it notes that last year they were warmed up seven times but used only one, with the overall cost coming to around £400m. The UK is targeting the closure of its coal-fired power plants by October 2024, notes Reuters, as part of efforts to meet its 2050 net-zero target.