Great Britain’s energy grid operator has asked power plant owners to provide extra electricity by Wednesday evening as freezing temperatures take hold.
Demand for electricity is expected to climb between 4pm and 7pm as fresh weather warnings take effect across England, with snow expected as far south as London.
The National Energy System Operator (Neso) – which manages the energy systems in England, Scotland and Wales – said it needed an extra 1,700 megawatts of power generating capacity to avoid falling short of the electricity required to power homes and businesses within its normal safety margins.
This shortfall, which was flagged by Neso on Tuesday evening, is roughly the equivalent of the output of two to three gas-fired power plants, or the amount of electricity needed to power about 850,000 homes.
In an official market notice, the grid operator said: “We would like a greater safety cushion [margin] between power demand and available supply. It does not signal that blackouts are imminent or that there is not enough generation to meet current demand.”
A spokesperson for Neso added: “This is a routine tool that we use most winters, and means we are asking market participants to make any additional generation capacity they may have available. [It] does not mean electricity supply is at risk.”
Great Britain has relied more heavily on gas-fired power plants as freezing temperatures have taken hold of the country. The plants, which can fire up to run this evening, are expected to charge higher rates to generate electricity during this period.
By Wednesday morning, gas power accounted for 53% of electricity produced in Great Britain, while wind power made up 18%, according to Neso data. Nuclear reactors contributed 12% of the UK’s electricity, biomass burners made up 6% and the rest was imported.
It is the first winter that the newly nationalised grid operator has been tasked with meeting the country’s power demand without using coal power. The last remaining coal plant in the UK, at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, shut down in October.
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