Article from money mail17 May 2016 09:34
Coal-fired power stations are likely to break down more often as the deadline for closure approaches, leaving the UK vulnerable to power shortages.
The warning from energy chiefs comes after seven power stations either broke down or were not available last Monday.
On Tuesday, the UK generated no power from coal for the first time since the 19th Century. Renewable energy took up the slack.
Shutting down: Coal supplied about 17% of the UK’s electricity at the end of 2015, down from over 30% in 2014 +2
Shutting down: Coal supplied about 17% of the UK’s electricity at the end of 2015, down from over 30% in 2014
The failures led National Grid, which runs the power network, to make an emergency request for more power supplies. The company would not confirm how many power stations were offline but a number were understood to be coal-fired.
National Grid said it issued a ‘notification of inadequate system margin’, only its second since 2008, which warns providers that the gap between supply and demand is too small and more power is needed.