A Nottinghamshire coal-fired power station will keep burning for longer than planned to bolster the UK's energy supply this winter amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Speculation had been growing that the Ratcliffe on Soar power station would keep one of its units going as contracts were being signed with Britain's other two remaining coal-fired stations.
The operator of the site, Uniper, has now confirmed that an agreement has been reached with the Government. The site is due to close at the end of September 2024 and as part of this, one of its units was going to be decommissioned this September.
The Government is planning to end the use of coal power in Britain by October 2024 and despite repeating its commitment on that, the unit at Ratcliffe will stay operational at least until the end of March. Uniper also says it is looking at whether to keep the unit going right up until the scheduled closure of the whole station in September 2024.
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Discussions started in May when Kwasi Kwarteng, then the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, asked the National Grid's electricity system operator (ESO) to explore the idea of keeping Britain's three coal power stations open. At the time of the announcement, Mr Kwarteng said: "If we have available back-up power, let's keep it online just in case.
"I'm not taking chances. For our long-term energy security, we're accelerating renewables and nuclear - while maximising North Sea oil and gas production."
Mike Lockett, the Uniper UK Country Chairman, said: "Following a request from the Government to keep our unit earmarked for closure in September 2022 open, I'm pleased that we've reached an agreement to help bolster the UK’s supply security with National Grid ESO during this winter. I'd like to thank all our employees at Ratcliffe power station for their contribution in ensuring that we can continue to operate the unit."
The Government confirmed the contract with Uniper was signed on Thursday morning (September 22). The remaining three units at the power station are due to be closed by the September 2024 deadline and following this, plans have already been unveiled for the future of the site.
Battery production, energy storage and a new waste incinerator are all planned on the power station site, whilst wider plans for a hotel alongside food and retail outlets have also been unveiled. A government spokesperson previously said that there was no shortage of supply in the immediate and long term but that "additional back-up" was needed in light of the war in Ukraine.
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