ABSTRACT
It had been necessary to respond to the confusing early phases of the strike as events occurred. Compared with our expectations and the earlier contingency planning there was the unexpected benefit of some coal continuing to be mined. That benefit could of course only be realised if the coal could be transported to the power stations but we had set about achieving that. It was also necessary to implement the contingency plans as quickly as possible. This mainly required the building up of oil-fired generation supported by a sound oil procurement programme. We also had to gain full value from this change by giving the coal-fired stations, not receiving coal, reduced operating regimes in order to prolong the life of their coal stocks. There were also other steps that had to be taken in the first phase of the CEGB’s response to the strike. These took most of the spring. They were to be followed by lesser measures that were devised to improve endurance further. These were managed and monitored carefully.
