Comment on coal plant warm up
Jess Ralston in available for comment and interview.
By George Smeeton
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Commenting on the news that National Grid has asked the Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal-fired power station to warm up to cope with extra electricity demand for air conditioning [1], Jess Ralston, Head of Energy at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said:
“Until we reach net zero emissions, the world will continue to get hotter and heatwaves like the UK’s 40.3C one from last year will become more frequent. This is bad news for vulnerable people, like the elderly, but it’s also going to put added strain on our power system to try to keep them and others cool.
"Coal is playing a bit-part role in the electricity grid, and both here and in Europe its use is plummeting, partly because of its high emissions. With more offshore wind, and solar particularly in the summertime, coal’s back-up role will become redundant with smarter markets combined with batteries and other storage technologies."
Notes to editors:
- UK heatwave prompts order to fire up coal plant to meet aircon demand: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/12/uk-heatwave-prompts-order-to-fire-up-coal-plant-to-meet-aircon-demand
For more information:
George Smeeton, Head of Communications, ECIU, Tel: 07894 571 153, email: george.smeeton@eciu.net