Amanda Milling, Member of Parliament for Cannock Chase, has raised the issue of the potential closure of coal-fired power stations directly with the Prime Minister.
Speaking at a meeting of MPs and the Prime Minister, the Cannock Chase MP, whose constituency includes Rugeley B Power Station, raised her concerns relating to the future of the nation’s coal-fired power stations and the obstacles facing energy providers in terms of building new gas powered stations. Amanda is among a number of MPs who have expressed concerns about the number of coal-fired power stations that have announced their potential closure over the last few months.
Amanda Milling said: “I was keen to impress upon the Prime Minister my concerns about the potential closure of Rugeley B Power Station and other coal-fired power stations across the country. This included highlighting the difficulties and obstacles facing energy companies which are looking to quickly build new gas-powered stations to supply the National Grid with power. I believe there are a range of options the Government can explore that may help some stations remain operational for a few more years, as well as ways to reduce the planning burdens which can slow down the building of new gas power stations. These are all measures that we need to consider in order to continue to generate electricity here in the UK.”
The Cannock Chase MP has recently urged the government to review its policies about biomass as she believes that the government could do more to help some existing coal-fired power stations operate for a few more years, meaning that the existing infrastructure is put to good use. Amanda Milling has arranged a meeting with the Rt Hon Amber Rudd, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, to discuss these suggestions further with the Government.
Amanda added: “While we all accept Rugeley B Power Station has been operating for many decades and would not naturally reach the government’s 2025 deadline for phasing out the use of coal for energy generation, if the Government could help make biomass conversion more economically viable, it could help stations like Rugeley B reach the end of their natural lives. This would mean that there was more time to get gas fired power stations built to take over this capacity in the market.”