Coal imports doubled in the UK.

Rising gas prices resulting from the war in Ukraine have forced the UK to nearly double its coal imports in the fight to keep the lights on through the Winter. The increasing use of coal-generated power in the UK comes after years of the country shifting to cleaner electricity from gas-fired power plants and renewables but is deemed vital as Russian president Vladimir Putin crimps gas supplies to Europe. Figures from Kpler, a commodity analytics firm, show that last month more than 560,000 tonnes of coal came into British ports, compared to the 291,089 tonnes that arrived in October 2021, a 93 per cent increase. In the first ten months of this year, the UK imported more than 5.5 million tonnes of coal, already exceeding the 4.2 million tonnes throughout 2021.

«Absent the option of burning fuel oil - the most cost-efficient power generation option right now - coal- is very much the best option out there, albeit the most polluting one, too.» However, with gas prices like these, relying on natural gas for power generation is a no-go zone for anyone who can switch between fuels. «Gas prices have increased rapidly since the invasion of Ukraine. The extra coal flowing to the UK is thermal coal which is burned to create steam used for electricity generation, as opposed to coking coal, used for making iron or steel. » Since the UK’s «dash for gas» in the 1990s, coal’s share of electricity generation has halved, and there are now only three coal-fired plants running.

Tony Lodge, political and energy analyst at the Centre for Policy Studies, said the UK’s reliance on gas made it vulnerable to shocks. Lodge said that the government should have a more balanced energy mix that would make the UK less vulnerable to shocks. The disruption in energy markets from the war in Ukraine has delayed the UK’s plan to end the use of coal power by 2024. In May, Kwasi Kwarteng, then business secretary, asked National Grid executives to work with the owners of Britain’s three remaining coal fire power plants to ensure energy security for the Winter.

Last month, Uniper SE, which owns the Ratcliffe-1 coal-fired power plant in Nottinghamshire, announced it was going to keep the plant open to secure winter energy, despite plans to shutter it this year.

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