In November 2018, a landmark European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling led to the indefinite suspension of the UK capacity market (CM). The decision has created widespread uncertainty throughout Britain's energy market which, if not fixed, could over time result in a significant loss of income for many thermal plant operators -especially those who have secured contracts in previous auctions and those who were hoping to place successful bids in the (now cancelled) auctions which had been scheduled for February 2019. In the short term, the effects of the suspension are negligible. So far this winter, there have been no instances of gas plants shutting down and it's not difficult to see why. While the loss of capacity mechanism revenue is an inconvenience, it is currently more optimal to wait and see what happens in the hope the scheme is reinstated. In the longer term, however, the picture becomes more complicated.
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