UK weather: Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station readied to boost supply

A 500MW unit - one of four at Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station - had been due to close in September 2022

A coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire has been warmed up to cope with expected higher energy demand in the warm weather.

The National Grid asked Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station to step in on Monday as it expected high demand from the use of cooling devices.

A 500MW unit - one of four there - had been due to close in September.

However, an agreement was made to extend its life by two years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Coal has not been used to generate energy for the National Grid in Britain for 46 days.

Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station owners Uniper were asked to fire up the facility at a time when available wind power is relatively low, energy supplies from Europe have been limited, and some generation facilities are unavailable.

Demand for electricity is generally much lower in summer than in winter.

As a result, this is when power stations are most likely to be taken offline for maintenance.

However, the UK experienced the hottest days of the year so far over the weekend - with temperatures peaking at 30.3°C across the East Midlands on Sunday - leading to an expected increase in devices including air conditioners and fans as people seek ways to cool off.