UK faces periods of ‘tight’ electricity supply this winter amid Russia war in Ukraine
Prices soaring due to uncertainty over supply
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Your support makes all the difference.Electricity supplies could be “tight” during parts of the winter amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, National Grid has warned.
The utility company said in a forecasting update on Thursday that there would be enough power to meet demand despite the potential shortages.
It comes after Russia’s state-controlled energy company Gazprom announced it will drastically cut gas supplies, used to generate electricity, to Europe through its main pipeline.
Gazprom blamed “technical” difficulties for the move, which has seen gas supplies cut to around 20 per cent of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline’s capacity.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Kremlin of a “gas war” which he said was designed to make life difficult for European countries during the winter.
The move by Moscow sent already sky-high gas prices soaring further still. The UK is far less dependent on Russia for its gas but rising prices on the continent will have a knock-on effect at home.
“It is clear that the cessation of flows of gas into Europe could have knock-on impacts, including very high prices,” National Grid’s Electricity System Operator (ESO) said in a statement.
It said modelling showed that the first half of December is likely to be a “tight period” where supplies could run low.
In its report, National Grid also said it has asked coal power plants to be on standby during the winter months.
They could be paid extra to generate more electricity, with consumers paid to use less to help with any shortages.
Wholesale British gas prices have hit record highs this year, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in turn pushing up energy prices for consumers.
A cap on the most widely used domestic energy contracts is expected to rise by around 65 per cent in October.
Gas-fired power plants were responsible for more than 40 per cent of Britain’s electricity production last year while the fossil fuel is also used to heat around 80 per cent of British homes.
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