The UK grid asked some households to cut energy use on Monday – a request likely to be extended into Tuesday – as a plunge in wind power and freezing temperatures test its ability to keep the lights on.
National Grid was using the emergency measure for the first time to help ease a supply squeeze. Starting from 5pm, customers of Centrica, EON and Octopus Energy who had signed up for the programme were to be asked not to use dishwashers or washing machines during a two-hour period of peak demand.
The measure offers a stark reminder that Europe’s power crunch is far from over and highlights the danger of the UK’s steadily shrinking electricity generation buffer. It also makes the nation more reliant on imports from France, which is struggling with its own nuclear crisis and cannot export as much as it used to.
“The fact that we are asking for demand response shows that we need to remain vigilant and we need to remain cautious about what may happen in the future,” said Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of regulator Ofgem, in a speech in London on Monday. “We are vigilant – the system is getting more robust, but some of the risks still remain.”
The demand-reduction measure was previously in test mode but is now live. The aim of the programme – which is due to run until the end of March – is to cut demand as a way of balancing the grid without needing new power plant capacity.
A cold snap in recent days has caused demand to spike, with prices for peak times at the highest since December 21st. London is forecast to see temperatures as cold as minus 2C on Monday.
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Earlier, the network operator instructed three reserve coal-fired power plants to get ready to generate on Monday evening, but subsequently stood them down.
The UK government is coming under pressure to roll out energy-efficiency measures such as insulation to help households save money and energy. Britain’s particularly leaky housing stock means that when energy prices rise, customers feel the pinch more quickly from rising bills.
Chancellor of the exchequer Jeremy Hunt pledged £6 billion (€6.8 billion) to insulate homes and upgrade boilers in his budget last year. However, ministers have tried several energy-efficiency programmes over the past decade that have not achieved mass roll-out. – Bloomberg
