National Grid ESO joins Powering Past Coal Alliance

The National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) has announced it is joining an international group, called the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), which is working on the transition away from coal power.

The PPCA is a coalition of national and sub-national governments, businesses and organisations working to advance the transition from coal power generation to clean energy.

It has more than 70 members, including 28 national governments, 18 sub-national governments and 28 businesses.

The announcement comes just weeks after the UK’s  latest coal-free run came to an end, with the record now set at 18 days, 6 hours and 10 minutes.

And in April, the ESO also vowed to take the necessary actions to allow the power grid to run on entirely zero-carbon electricity by 2025.

Speaking at an EU Commissions Coal Regions in Transition Platform event today (15 July), ESO director Fintan Slye said renewable power generation is a “trend that is here to stay”.

“By 2025 we believe we will be able to operate the GB electricity system carbon free by 2025, an ambition we believe is world leading – so it’s only natural we are joining the PPCA,” said Slye.

“We’ve been planning how to manage increasing levels of renewables for many years. This means that network investments have been made and grid operator services have been procured such that we can operate a network with no coal.

“But it’s not without its challenges and initiatives like the PPCA, which encourage greater sharing and cooperation across the industry, are vital. Being able to run our system without coal for two weeks was only possible working in partnership across the industry, and we look forward to engaging with colleagues on a global stage to help the transition to cleaner forms of energy.”