From ... in Environmental — Dec 12, 2022

Green Fail: UK Grid Fires Up Coal Power Stations Amid Energy Crisis

Britain’s National Grid has announced it is firing up two coal-fired reserve power plants as a winter snap and lack of wind leave the country facing blackouts amid a general energy crisis.

“We’ve issued a notification to warm two winter contingency coal units,” the Grid said in a statement posted to social media, expressing hope that the measure “should give the public confidence in Monday’s energy supply.” “This notification is not confirmation that these units will be used on Monday, but that they will be available to the ESO [Electricity System Operator], if required,” they added. Much of Britain’s fossil fuel-powered domestic generating capability and especially its coal-powered domestic generating capability has been significantly eroded in recent years.

The nominally Conservative government has been pursuing a Net Zero green agenda that emphasises so-called renewables such as wind and importing energy from Continental Europe — which does not count towards the national carbon emissions targets — via subsea interconnectors, but with the wind not blowing reliably and Continental nations enduring their own energy issues Britain is in a precarious position. We've issued a notification to warm two winter contingency coal units. This measure should give the public confidence in Monday’s energy supply.(1/3) — National Grid ESO (@NationalGridESO) December 12, 2022 Countries such as Germany have not destroyed as many already-mothballed coal plants as Britain, and so may prove better off if the energy crisis worsens, despite heavy dependence on Russia gas, as they have already been able to power up reserve coal stations in large numbers and have not allowed their gas storage capacity to wither away, either. “BBC Radio 4 and the Grid are to talk about using more old coal power stations as it is cold with little wind. Why were they not interested in this before when some of us warned them this could happen?” asked Sir John Redwood, a veteran Conservative MP who served in the governments of Sir John Major and the late Margaret Thatcher. “We should not be worrying about keeping the lights on, [not] relying on imports,” he added, cognizant of the fact that the country has few more reserve coal plants to call on if the ones the Grid has warmed up prove inadequate to the task before them. Despite all this, the Rishi Sunak administration’s decision to finally approve Britain’s first new coal mine in decades — one which will be geared towards producing high-quality coke used for steelmaking — is under ferocious attack by green agenda fanatics within his own party and, ironically, Labour, which built much of its now-tarnished reputation among the working class on fighting against pit closures in the 20th century but is now vowing to see to it that this new one is killed off. Other enemies of this modest step towards energy independence include failed U.S. presidential candidate John Kerry, who now serves as Joe Biden’s climate envoy, who is demanding “a better download on exactly what the emissions implications are going to be” with respect to the British mine. Meanwhile, Communist China has commissioned 226 coal-fired power plants within the last five years alone. In Germany right now coal + lignite (also coal) is producing nearly 50% of all electricity. COAL. Guessing this will not be headlining German papers tomorrow ... pic.twitter.com/fjVGEpnoE9 — Brian Sullivan (@SullyCNBC) December 11, 2022.

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Green Fail: UK Grid Fires Up Coal Power Stations Amid Energy Crisis

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