EDF says it will close its 2 GW Cottam coal-fired power plant in Nottinghamshire, England at the end of September 2019.
The company says that its decision “reflects the challenging market conditions” and was made in the “context of the drive to decarbonise electricity generation”. The plant will not be economically viable beyond the end of September, it added.
EDF said it will continue to operate the nearby 2000 MW West Burton A coal plant until at least September 2021 when its existing capacity market agreements come to an end.
Cottam secured a three-year refurbishment agreement in the UK’s first capacity market auction in 2014. The contract, which initially ran from October 2018 to September 2021, was later reduced to a one-year agreement after EDF Energy decided not to proceed with the upgrade.
The suspension of the UK’s capacity market has prevented Cottam from securing another contract for the coming winter.
Cottam Plant Manager Andy Powell said: “When the power station was built it was designed to operate for 30 years. It’s a credit to our people, the engineering and EDF Energy’s investment that it has operated for more than 50 years.”
Linkedin
