Scotland weather: National Grid asks two coal-fired power stations to warm up amid energy supply pressure

Britain’s electricity grid operator has asked two of its coal-fired power stations to start warming up as freezing weather conditions heap pressure on the UK’s power network.

National Grid said it had asked the winter “contingency” plants to prepare for operation to “give the public confidence in Monday’s energy supply”.

The body said the move meant the coal-fired stations could be used as “tools for additional contingency” as needed to allow the network to run as usual and stressed people “should continue to use energy as normal”.

The UK faces its biggest test yet with the current cold snap, which has seen the country suffer freezing temperatures and snow in many areas, ramping up demand for power at a time when supplies are tight.

Overhead power cables. The National Grid has asked for two coal-fired power stations to warm up to meet potential energy demand. Picture: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

UK next day electricity prices surged on Sunday to help attract power imports through interconnectors from Europe and record prices are expected during the peak demand hours between 5pm and 7pm on Monday.

The instruction for the coal-fired plants marks the first since they were put on standby and comes as the grid said it would also run another test of its demand flexibility service, which pays customers to use less electricity during certain hours.

On Monday, customers of some energy suppliers will be asked to reduce their consumption between 5pm and 7pm.

National Grid said the service was just a test and had already been planned for Monday. However, the timing will likely still be useful on a day when energy prices have shot up.

Octopus Energy has promised its customers can save more electricity than other suppliers, with Drax and Eon also saying they can provide significant savings for the grid.

The grid expects the coal-fired stations will be ready for use if called upon for the evening between 5pm and 9pm, when demand is set to peak.

The stations are operated by Drax in North Yorkshire and are two of five put on standby under so-called winter contingency contracts, with others run by EDF and Uniper.

The two units are each said to be capable of generating around 570 megawatts – adding more than 1.1 gigawatts to the grid if used.