As the cold snap continues across the United Kingdom, Britain's energy generators have reportedly been obligated to fire up coal-fired power plants for the second time this winter. It would be crucial to note that selected homeowners will also be paid to reduce their power consumption for the first time following the cold wave.

The electricity system operator (ESO) recently stated that it had requested Drax power plant to begin warming up a couple of its coal units at its North Yorkshire facility, and EDF to do the same with one at its West Burton factory in Nottinghamshire in order to ensure proper supply. The move comes ahead of warnings against prevalent high-pressure weather pattern and affiliated light winds.

The operator further stated that it would be activating its live demand flexibility service on Monday between 5 and 6 o'clock. Apparently, selected customers would be financially incentivized to reduce their electricity consumption between those hours. .

The ESO forecasted that electricity supply margins would be tighter than usual in the coming time. It has also assured that this does not imply that the availability of electricity is in danger, so people shouldn't be alarmed.

The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy has also requested the ESO to form a winter emergency contract with a variety of coal power stations last summer, after a spike in gas prices brought by Russia and Ukraine war.

The amount of wind power generated was only 6.89 gigawatts, or roughly 17.6% of the total power generated across the country. Also, it is worth noting that the British wind turbines were generating three times as much electricity, reaching 21.69GW, and breaking records, in early January.

Despite the action taken on Sunday to get coal-fired units ready for generation, statistics show that the UK's electricity generation is getting greener.

Source credit: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jan/22/coal-fired-power-stations-restarted-again-as-uk-cold-snap-bites