Great Britain's Energy Operator Issues Second Electricity Supply Alert Amid Heatwave
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Great Britain's National Energy System Operator (Neso) issued a second electricity supply alert this week, asking generators for extra power on Friday evening due to high demand from air conditioning and reduced generation capacity caused by Europe's heatwave.
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Why It Matters
Great Britain's energy system operator has issued a second electricity supply alert this week due to rising demand from a heatwave and reduced generation capacity across Europe. This follows a previous alert on Tuesday night for Wednesday evening.
Great Britain’s energy system operator has raised the alarm over electricity supplies for the second time this week as the heatwave continues to disrupt Europe’s energy markets.
The National Energy System Operator (Neso) issued a notice late on Thursday asking generators to provide any extra electricity possible on Friday evening to help meet rising demand as households turn on air conditioners and electric fans to cope with the heat.
The operator said it was calling for extra power supplies because its forecasts showed “tight margins on the electricity system” for Friday evening due to “the impact of extremely high temperatures affecting Great Britain and the continent”.
The government-owned body added that the electricity supply was not at risk, indicating that a blackout was not imminent.
The market warning was the second this week after Neso called for backup on Tuesday night before a rise in demand on Wednesday evening when the high pressure heat dome that has led to Europe’s worst heatwave ever was forecast to slow wind speeds in a blow to renewable energy supplies.
The operator was forced to pay sums well above the usual market price to generators that were able to ramp up their electricity output, which will ultimately be paid for through household energy bills.
It is estimated have paid out about £10m for a few hours of electricity supplied on Wednesday evening, mostly to gas power plants. Similar high payments are expected to secure supplies for Friday evening, while power plants across Europe have been forced to shut down owing to the record temperatures.
Several gas power plants in the UK have cut their output because of the heat. In France, which supplies a significant proportion of the UK’s electricity, four nuclear power plants reported unplanned outages because the temperature of nearby river water had climbed too high to be used cool the reactors.
The French state-owned utility company EDF said on Friday it would allocate €80m (£69m) to equip schools, nurseries and daycare centres with cooling systems to help them cope with future heatwaves.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Neso will make similar high payments for electricity supplies on Friday evening.
Very likely · Within hours
Open Questions
- How much more will Neso pay for extra power supplies?
- What is the long-term plan for heatwave resilience in energy systems?
