16 February 2010 12:55
E.ON clarification

Dr Paul Golby, Chief Executive of E.ON UK, said: "We would like to clarify that E.ON has no intention of keeping either Kingsnorth or Ironbridge, the coal-fired power stations that will be closing their doors under European legislation at the end of 2015, open any longer than that.

"Contrary to some media reports, they will close. We are not talking to either the Government or to the Opposition about the possibility of keeping them open and this was never something that we had even investigated.

"However, it is clear that, as the amount of wind power in the UK increases, we as a country will need to find a way to back up that renewable capacity with flexible fossil fuel or some other means. One option for that could be to retain our oil-fired power station at the Isle of Grain which could be mothballed until it is required and which would be capable of providing a large amount of power relatively quickly on the small number of days when, simply put, the wind doesn't blow.

"In order to decarbonise UK plc in a way that ensures security of supply and affordable bills, achieving that is absolutely vital."

Ends

Notes to editors:

• Kingsnorth (1,974MW) and Ironbridge (970MW) coal-fired power stations are both due to close under the EU's LCPD by the end of 2015 at the latest.
• The Isle of Grain is a 1,350MW oil-fired power station.

For more information contact:

Jonathan Smith on 024 7618 3676 or jonathan.smith@eon-uk.com