Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether there are (a) mothballed coal and (b) mothballed oil-fuelled power stations in the UK that could be brought back into emergency use; and if he will make a statement.

The Capacity Market is the government’s main mechanism for ensuring security of electricity supply. It secures the capacity needed to meet peak electricity demand in a range of scenarios through competitive, technology-neutral auctions. National Grid Electricity System Operator is the organisation responsible for balancing electricity supply and demand.

The decision on whether to return mothballed coal- and oil-fuelled power stations back into use is a commercial matter for the companies involved.