Coal-fired: Drax’s two units at its plant in North Yorkshire were mothballed last year
Drax will keep open its coal-fired power plant this winter after a request by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.
He said it was a ‘sensible precaution’ as Russia cuts off gas to parts of Europe. Britain now has two coal plants for the winter and is negotiating for one more.
Drax’s two units at its plant in North Yorkshire were mothballed last year and were due to close formally this September. They will provide a ‘winter contingency’ service from October to March, only operating if instructed to do so by National Grid.
Last month, Kwarteng did a deal with French firm EDF to extend the life of its coal-fired plant at West Burton, Notts.
Germany will have to burn more coal this winter amid concerns about power shortages. And yesterday France said it will fully nationalise EDF, which is already 84 per cent state-owned.
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