Is government plotting back to coal move?

EDF has reportedly been approached to keep a coal-fired power station going

The government is reportedly in discussions with EDF to keep a coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire.

It has been reported that policymakers talked with the energy giant to explore whether it would be possible to extend the life of the West Burton A plant.

EDF had previously announced that it would start decommissioning the last two units of the power station later this year.

The power plant started generating power in 1966.

The reports claimed that move could potentially ease the pain of rising energy bills and reduce the UK’s reliance on Russian imports.

A government spokesperson told ELN: “The UK remains committed to ending the use of coal power by 2024. We will be setting out plans to boost our long-term energy resilience and domestic supply shortly.

“The operation of UK coal plants is ultimately a commercial matter and we have made no formal request to EDF.”

In a statement, EDF said: “Half of West Burton A power station has been available to supply electricity during peak times over the winter; the other half commenced decommissioning last summer.

“The plan is to start decommissioning the final two units at the start of October 2022 and many processes have already been put in place to achieve that, including reducing the site’s staffing numbers and running down the coal stock.”

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