Britain’s grid operator asked a reserve coal-fired unit in England to be ready to provide extra power on Tuesday as demand jumps during a cold snap.
One unit at Electricite de France SA’s West Burton plant in Nottinghamshire is warming in case it’s needed to generate, according to a grid notice. Wind generation is forecast to drop throughout Tuesday and remain low on Wednesday, Bloomberg’s model shows.
Warming units is a sign of caution by the grid operator, which manages the energy supply and demand balance of the network on a minute-by-minute basis. Back-up plants were put on standby earlier this winter — though none were eventually needed to produce power — in a sign that Britain’s installed generation might be insufficient to meet winter peaks in demand.
The call for Tuesday comes as the UK faces a late-season test of its energy system, with a blast of arctic weather increasing the need for heat and power this week. Snow and ice warnings have been extended through Friday for large parts of the UK, including London.
“The ESO as a prudent system operator has developed these tools for additional contingency to operate the network as normal,” said a spokesperson for the grid’s Electricity System Operator. “This does not mean electricity supplies are at risk.”
EDF’s West Burton facility is one of three reserve coal plants, along with those run by Drax Group Plc and Uniper SE, that were heading for closure but were paid to stay online for the winter. Only Uniper plans to keep online its Ratcliffe plant, which is the last to operate commercially, past the spring before closing it next year.
--With assistance from William Mathis.
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
