The UK is set to achieve a major milestone on Monday (30 September) with the closing of the nation’s final coal-fired power plant, Uniper’s 2,000MW Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottinghamshire.
In response to the UK Government’s request in March this year to continue contingency contracts, EDF and Drax have confirmed that their coal units will not be available for another winter and have begun decommissioning.
On Monday (12 June), National Grid ESO asked Uniper to warm two coal units at the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station to help meet a spike in demand due to increasing temperatures.
The National Grid ESO has completed work on 12 units which will provide inertia to the electricity network and ensure stability in the case of sudden changes in generating capacity.
The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has asked National Grid ESO to explore the potential of extending the contingency coal contracts into next winter, but all five units will be unavailable.
Uniper is the latest company to reach an agreement with the UK Government to keep a coal-fired power plant online throughout the winter months in order to mitigate the impact of the ongoing energy crisis.
Three fossil fuel free turbines will go live this summer, producing green inertia by mimicking the effect of a power station, according to National Grid ESO.
