NGG - U.K. winter storm forces National Grid to use backup coal power for first time

2023-03-08 07:35:18 ET

National Grid ( NYSE: NGG ) placed U.K. coal plants put on standby as emergency backup into action for the first time overnight Wednesday, as the country withstood the coldest night of the year.

National Grid ( NGG ) said two coal units that previously were due to close last September helped it meet peak evening demand.

Operators had kept the plants open for an extra six months at the request of the U.K. government over fears of possible power shortages.

The coal units were active for only a short time and the amount of power provided was small, with coal providing just 0.8% of the U.K's energy overnight, the company said.

National Grid ( NGG ) blames the cold weather, a shortage of wind and solar power generation, and a lack of electricity available through interconnectors from France due to strikes there.

Temperatures in London were expected to hit just 1.8 degrees Celsius Wednesday, nearly 6 degrees lower than average for early March.

Earlier this winter, National Grid ( NGG ) had stood down three coal-fired power plants it had placed on standby .

For further details see: