UK’s West Burton A to delay decommissioning

• 2 years ago (2022-06-16)
• David Flin

Coal 296 Europe 1089

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EDF has agreed to keep its coal-fired West Burton A power plant in the UK running through the winter amidst the ongoing uncertainty in the energy sector. This follows the request in April from the Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to Uniper, EDF, and Drax to delay decommissioning of their coal-fired plants. The request was as a result of concerns over energy security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

EDF decided to keep two 500 MW units at West Burton A available over the winter. These had been due to close in September, but will now be decommissioned from April 2023. One unit will provide 400 MW of availability as required by the system, while the second unit will be used as a back-up. Two units at the site are already undergoing decommissioning. EDF said that the plant would not be operating on a commercial basis, but is a standby arrangement to support energy security.