According to National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO), the margin of excess energy on the grid will be better this coming winter than the last one.
As well as the new generators that have come online since then, the margins have been increased due to improved data quality, the availability of generation units that were partially or fully unavailable last winter and the return to the capacity market of one of the coal contingency units used last winter, which will now operate in the normal electricity market for this year.
The UK has pledged to phase out coal-fired power stations by 2025, but last winter, three coal plants that are ready for retirement were placed on standby in order to make up for potential energy shortfalls in the wake of high prices.
Following a request from the government, the ESO is continuing to have discussions on the availability of two of the five coal contingency units that were used last winter.
In light of the continued...