Fuel prices keep power firm

摘要

Continuing high fuel prices are keeping UK power prices high at a time when they would traditionally be starting to soften. Despite lighter evenings, the weather has remained wet which has kept demand levels high. In addition, a 600MW unit at British Energy's Torness nuclear power plant has come off stream for maintenance, which has eaten into the capacity margin. However, the major force behind the stubbornly high power price is the cost of generating fuels, with gas and coal prices rising over the past two weeks.