WHICHEVER decisions are made about the generation of electricity, the price to all consumers will continue to rise.

The UK commitment to reducing the use of carbon fuels means that the generators using these fuels, especially coal, will have to pay increasingly high penalties per unit of electricity produced. The cost of generating by wind and solar power and by biomass is expensive in capital and running costs, and requires support via taxes and bills.

In the case of Eggborough (The Press, December 16) this power station generally supplies base-load non-intermittent power to the National Grid network. The increasing cost of the continuing use of coal means the price to the Grid will increase and alternative generators will be used except when demand is high and there is no wind or sunlight. Intermittent use will make the station less efficient and put costs up even further.

Two options would enable the station to continue to provide non-intermittent energy: these are to convert to biomass, or the carbon emissions from the existing, or modified plant, are removed and piped to the depleted oil and gas wells in the North Sea, through the proposed National Grid CO2 pipeline.

Closure would have severe effects on employment and further increase the risk of power outages in the next few years, due to over reliance on intermittent sources.

David Randon, Blue Slates Close, Wheldrake, York.