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Coal Regains Crown As Slump In Nuclear Output Raises Fears Of Power Shortages (from Sunday Herald)

Coal regains crown as slump in nuclear output raises fears of power shortages

sundayherald 16 Nov 08  POWER SUPPLIERS are turning back the clock to use coal-fired plants as their main source of electricity in a bid to avert potential shortages this winter.

Latest figures from the National Grid show that the fuel accounted for 42.5% of all power generation, overtaking natural gas production for the first time in years.

The surge, from a usual level of little more than a third of total output, comes as the major networks seek to fill a gap caused by a slump in nuclear energy output at East Kilbride-based British Energy.

Nuclear power accounted for as little as 10.5% of output during peak times last week. This is roughly half the levels of a couple of years ago and there had been fears that we could see the first power shortages as early as this month………………..imported power from France reached a peak of more than 4% last week………………………..While the UK as a whole is struggling to meet EU targets to gain 20% of its energy from renewable sources, first minister Alex Salmond  believes Scotland could get up to 50% of its own needs from wind farms, tidal energy and biomass as well as hydro-electricity by the same date………………..n contrast, British Energy chairman Bill Coley……….will confirm that the continuing problems among the group’s eight nuclear power stations led to a 27% slump in output in the opening half of the year despite rising production from its coal-fired plant at Eggborough.

The group’s big B21 reactor in Dungeness recently re-opened after four months’ closure, but four reactors at Hartlepool and Heysham will remain closed until early next year for boiler repairs.

Coal Regains Crown As Slump In Nuclear Output Raises Fears Of Power Shortages (from Sunday Herald)

Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium

November 17, 2008 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs