After a 46-day hiatus, Britain has resumed the use of coal for electricity generation. This decision was prompted by the temporary shutdown of gas power plants for maintenance, increased demand for air conditioning, and lower wind speeds affecting renewable energy production.
On Monday morning, electricity production commenced at Uniper’s Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal power plant, marking its first operation in several weeks. Additionally, another plant is being prepared as a backup in case it is required by early afternoon.
As of the current moment, coal power accounted for approximately 0.2% of the total electricity consumption in the UK. This marked the conclusion of a 46-day period during which Britain’s grid remained free of coal usage, falling short of the previous record of nearly 68 days set in the summer of 2020. Notably, this recent coal-free period was the longest uninterrupted stretch since 1882 in which coal was not burned to generate electricity.
The National Grid’s Electricity Systems Operator had several reasons to anticipate the need for coal power. Firstly, numerous gas power plants undergo maintenance during the summer when electricity demand typically decreases.
Additionally, there has been a significant decrease in electricity generated from wind power. In the past week, wind turbines in Britain have been providing approximately 22.5% of the nation’s electricity requirements.
However, on Monday morning, wind power accounted for only about 9.3% of Britain’s electricity generation. This decrease was partially compensated by an increase in the contribution of solar power to the grid.
The ongoing heatwave in the country has likely resulted in a surge in air conditioning demand. However, with only approximately one in 20 UK homes equipped with air conditioning units, the increased usage is primarily expected from office spaces. As a result, the additional demand is anticipated to be relatively limited.
According to Drax, on July 19 of the previous year, when temperatures reached over 40C, electricity demand was only approximately 6% higher compared to the week before.
In the future, the demand for electricity is expected to increase during the summer as air-to-air heat pumps can function as air conditioners, contributing to higher energy consumption.
As an increasing number of households choose to replace their boilers with heat pumps during the colder months, they will also gain the advantage of air conditioning capabilities during the warmer summer months.