Coal imports rise to meet gas shortfall

Coal imports rise to meet gas shortfall
Huntly works overtime to keep the lights on
Ian Llewellyn
The renewable share of electricity was 79% in the first three months of 2021, down from 81.9% a year earlier, as coal filled the current energy gap, the latest energy statistics said today.The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s energy quarter update to March 2021 said lower hydro generation, coupled with a tight gas supply, led to higher coal imports to meet demand for electricity generation.Coal imports were 0.3 million tonnes in the quarter, up 25% from the March 2020 period, but down 21% from December 2020. Coal used for...

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