UK Fires Up Coal Plants, Pays Customers to Cut Energy Use During Cold Snap

Britain is warming up its coal power stations once again this winter as a cold snap and light winds have settled into the region.

To make sure there is enough power during the cold spell, National Grid’s electricity system operator (ESO) has asked power station operators Drax and EDF Energy to begin warming their respective North Yorkshire and West Burton, Nottinghamshire, coal units, reported The Guardian.

“Our forecasts show electricity supply margins are expected to be tighter than normal on Monday evening,” said the ESO, as The Guardian reported. “We have instructed coal-fired power units to be available to increase electricity supplies should it be needed tomorrow evening… These are precautionary measures to maintain the buffer of spare capacity we need.”

In mid-December of last year, power plants also requested coal units be at the ready, but it turned out enough power was generated from other sources.

Usually, offshore and onshore wind turbines provide enough power, but when gas prices peaked last summer because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as a precautionary measure the ESO negotiated a contingency contract with coal generators for the winter.

Some households will be able to take advantage of the live demand flexibility service offered by the ESO, where between the hours of 5 and 6 p.m., customers who reduce their energy consumption will be given financial compensation.

Sarah Chambers from Wales told the BBC she had charged her family’s laptops and smartphones ahead of time and was “excited” to participate in the program.

“I won’t be running the tumble dryer or the washing machine as I usually do when the children come home with dirty PE kits after school,” Chambers said, as reported by BBC News.

Sunday it was sunny and cold, with wind power making up just 17.6 percent of total power generation at 6.89 gigawatts, according to data from the National Grid.

On Sunday, demand was at 40.2 gigawatts, and, according to grid data, peak demand is predicted to occur at 5 p.m. this evening at 42.2 gigawatts, Bloomberg reported.

Earlier this month, windfarms in Britain set a record average of 21.69 gigawatts, reported The Guardian.

Even though the UK is prepared to use its coal-fired units as a backup, its power generation is coming from more renewables overall. In December of 2022, more than half of the electricity in the UK was generated by zero-carbon sources. And, according to the ESO, a one-day record was set for zero-carbon electricity generation on December 30 at 87.2 percent of the total.