Base load

Base load is the minimum level of electricity demand on a power system over a given period. It is commonly supplied by generators that operate continuously.

Electric load: The rate at which electrical power is consumed by devices or customers. Base load is the low, persistent portion of the system’s total electric load.
Nuclear power: Electricity generation from energy released by nuclear reactions, usually fission. Nuclear plants are often operated steadily to supply a large share of persistent demand.
Baseload power plant: A power plant designed or operated to produce electricity continuously at a relatively steady output. A plant is a supply resource; base load is a level of demand.
Merit order: The ranking of generating resources by their short-run marginal costs for dispatch. Market dispatch can cause plants labeled as base-load resources to ramp down or stop.
Load curve: A graph of electricity demand over time. Its trough over a chosen period identifies the base-load level.
Coal-fired power station: A power station that burns coal to produce steam and generate electricity. Coal plants have historically provided continuous output in many electricity systems.
Load following: The adjustment of electricity generation to track changes in demand over time. It describes adapting supply to demand variation, unlike the minimum-demand concept.
Wholesale electricity market: A market where electricity is bought and sold for delivery to the power grid. Prices and dispatch decisions determine whether steady-output generation remains economical.
Peak load: The highest electricity demand reached during a specified period. It marks the opposite end of the demand range that base load helps describe.
Combined cycle power plant: A power plant that uses gas turbines and steam turbines to generate electricity from the same fuel. Its operating flexibility can support both persistent demand and changes in demand.

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Electricity demandBroader topic: It is the persistent floor beneath the demand’s daily and seasonal peaks.