UK Set to Cut Power Connections to Europe More Often After Heat Wave Grid Strain

Article content

(Bloomberg) — The UK’s grid operator said it will start restricting capacity on its power cables to Europe more frequently, just weeks after the country experienced an unusually tight balance between supply and demand during a heat wave. 

Article content

The move could help Britain better control its electricity system during moments of stress, but may not be welcomed by European countries on the other end of the lines, which sometimes rely on UK power flows to balance their systems. 

Article content

Article content

The National Energy System Operator will decide a day in advance whether to cut capacity on four interconnectors that link Britain to Norway, Denmark, Belgium and France, according to a presentation it gave to the power industry this week. While that ability isn’t new, NESO said it will start using the tool more frequently starting on Friday. 

Article content

Article content

In late June, the UK grid came under unusual strain when demand soared amid a heat wave. The situation was exacerbated by the fact that Britain was actually exporting electricity to Europe, which was similarly struggling in the heat. To resolve the situation, Britain made emergency calls to its neighbors to halt power flows out of the country.

Article content

Article content

“I assume NESO has looked back and said, ‘What other tools didn’t we use on those tight days?’,” said Lisa Waters, director at energy consultant Waters Wye Associates. “If they forecast that they may have some kind of margin or system issue, that flows of the interconnectors will contribute to, then they’re going to cut the volumes.”

Article content

NESO said it will spread any cuts evenly across the North Sea Link to Norway, the Viking Link to Denmark, the NEMO cable to Belgium and ElecLink to France. The practice will be used to ensure the security of the power system, according to the presentation.

Article content

Heat Wave Pushed UK Power Grid to Record Operating Strain

Article content

Greater linkage between power markets in Europe is seen as a key tool to bolster strength of the broader system. One country that has a shortage can lean on neighbors that may have excess supplies. It’s particularly useful when countries have different generation profiles, for example if it were windier in Britain than on the continent, the UK could export the surplus. 

Article content

Article content

But problems can arise if everywhere faces similar issues at once. Then exports can become more of a problem than a solution. That’s essentially what happened when the whole region faced soaring temperatures and subdued wind speeds in late June. While price signals said that power should flow from the UK to continental Europe, the reality was that Britain needed its power and so had to take extraordinary measures to overrule the market. 

Article content

The incident in late June caused significant controversy. UK Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho accused the UK’s electricity grid operator of covering up information and risking blackouts, citing whistle blowers from within NESO who contacted her. The grid operator denied the allegations and then launched an investigation into them. 

Article content