Pinched by energy crisis, Spanish coal plant slated for closure fires up

Soaring demand for electricity in Spain, where a cold snap is exacerbating an energy crunch, has pushed power company Endesa to restart a coal plant that has been idle since July and is slated for closure as part of European emissions-cutting goals. A spike in global gas prices has coincided with planned maintenance at three of Spain's five nuclear plants and a drop in hydroelectric output brought on by low rainfall, just as the onset of winter is pushing more Spaniards to turn on their heating, reports Reuters. To help the grid cope, Endesa restarted operations on Monday at one unit of its 1,400-megawatt As Pontes coal plant in the northwestern Galicia region.