The UK electricity grid operator has instructed two emergency-use coal generators to start warming up as the network faces its first big test of the energy crisis, with demand across the country soaring as temperatures dip below zero.
The National Grid Electricity System Operator said on Monday morning that it had asked the “contingency” plants to prepare for operation “to give the public confidence” in energy supplies, adding that people should continue to “use energy as normal”.
The two Drax coal-fired generation units, which the government requested to be on standby this winter, may not be needed to supply power to the grid as soon as Monday, the operator said, but “they will be available to the ESO if required”.
It is the first time any of the standby coal units have been asked to warm up since the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy this summer asked to delay their closure until after winter to help reinforce the grid’s resilience.
The UK is normally a big importer of electricity from France, but maintenance issues with the French nuclear sector have hit supplies this year, though plants are slowly returning to service. Those cuts have compounded an energy crisis triggered by Russia’s reduction of gas supplies to Europe in retaliation for western support of Ukraine.
The standby coal units are operating under so-called winter contingency contracts, so they cannot be bid on in the open market but can be asked to come online by the grid operator to relieve tight supplies.
The move comes as much of the UK is experiencing below-freezing temperatures for the first time this winter, with icy conditions across much of the country and London receiving a rare dusting of snow.
Weather conditions have also cut wind power generation, leaving the grid heavily reliant on gas-fired electricity and imports from continental Europe.
UK day-ahead electricity prices jumped on Sunday to help attract electricity imports through interconnectors from Europe, with record prices expected during the peak demand hours in the late afternoon and early evening on Monday.
The UK grid operator has not triggered additional steps to balance supplies with demand, such as asking other generators to signal if they have additional capacity. That suggests warming up the coal-fired standby units is a precautionary measure rather than a sign of an imminent risk of blackouts.
The plants could contribute to sending exports to France, where analysts expect energy supplies to also be tight on Monday. National Grid ESO said it would help supply neighbouring grids when possible this winter.
The two units are operated by Drax in North Yorkshire, home to the country’s largest power station. The company has converted much of the site to run on biomass and was due to shut its coal units this autumn before the government’s intervention.
The two coal-fired units are each capable of generating about 570 megawatts each, adding more than 1.1 gigawatts to the grid if utilised.
A notice from the ESO said the plants would be ready for dispatch for the grid if called upon from about lunchtime.