Government must act on energy

Unite is calling on the government to investigate the adverse impact of the planned closure of the Eggborough coal-fired power station in West Yorkshire which will bring job losses in the region’s coal-based energy sector to about 1,000.

The union is asking the energy secretary – Amber Rudd – to consider the loss of electricity to the National Grid of this latest coal-fired power station closure, while warning of power cuts this winter, if the weather is harsh.

Eggborough is slated to cease generating in March next year, with the loss of about 240 full-time jobs and work for about 200 contracted workers.

The blow follows the news that Ferrybridge C power station is also set to shut next March, plus the closure of Kellingley Colliery, the last deep pit in England.

Devastating

Unite regional officer Kelvin Mawer said: “What has happened to the coal-based energy sector in West Yorkshire in recent months is devastating to those losing their jobs and a crippling blow to the local economy.”

 

He added:“Energy secretary Amber Rudd should take a long, hard look at the energy needs of the country. Coal is the cheapest form of energy, especially if the carbon tax was lowered. Britain is sitting on a huge reservoir of coal.

 

Power cuts on the cards

 

“By closing Eggborough and Ferrybridge C, you are reducing their contribution to the grid by about eight per cent, enough to power about four million homes. If there is a harsh winter this year, we believe that energy demands will be so stretched, power cuts could be on the cards.”

 

Unite will meet the Eggborough management next Tuesday (8 September) with the aim of exploring avenues that may keep the power station open.

Eggborough Power Limited (EPL), said the “difficult decision” was  a result of a combination of market and regulatory conditions, including the failure in its attempts to gain support from government to convert to biomass at the 53-year-old plant.