By the end of the year, British homes will be heated by energy from Russian coal
According to The Mail on Sunday, British homes will still be heated by Russian coal by the end of the year.
More than a month after the invasion of Ukraine, England’s two largest power stations are still burning coal imported from Russia.
EDF in Nottinghamshire, West Burton, expects to use its existing stocks in the next few months before production ceases in late September.
Reserves: More than a month after the Ukraine invasion, England’s two largest power stations are still burning coal imported from Russia.
The Unipar plant at Ratcliffe-on-Sawyer in Nottinghamshire will continue to use Russian coal until the end of the year. The station is scheduled to close in September 2024.
Lawmakers have called for a ban on Russian coal in Britain. Major steelmakers, including Tata and British Steel, have already stopped using it.
It is understood that the French EDF bought Russian coal in 2021. The fuel is used only as a back-up during pick-up when the country’s energy demand cannot be met from other sources such as wind and solar energy.
The firm began decommissioning half of the plant at West Burton last summer and the rest will begin in October.
Germany’s Unipar says it has decided not to extend existing Russian coal supply agreements and hopes to complete a “diversification strategy” away from Russian coal by the end of the year. The country was its largest supplier.
The British energy industry is trying to move away from polluting fossil fuels, including coal, to renewable energy.
Russia is the world’s sixth-largest coal producer, behind China and the United States. According to the US Energy Information Administration, it exports more than half, including one-third bound to Europe.
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