UK's power imports hit all-time high as local plants shut down
British power grid now depends heavily on European electricity through undersea cables‚ reaching record-breaking import levels in 2024. Local power station closures push UK to rely more on foreign energy sources
The UKʼs dependence on foreign electricity has reached new heights with record-breaking imports through under-sea cables (which now total 26.3 terawatt hours) from January to September this year
Main power comes from Franceʼs nuclear stations through recently-built connections: the one-gigawatt ElecLink and one-point-five gigawatt Viking Link to Denmark have boosted import capacity by 33%. A new five-hundred megawatt link to Ireland is coming up by dec-24
Tom Greatrex from the Nuclear Industry Association points to a growing issue:
We shouldnt have to rely on other countries to keep the lights on‚ and we certainly shouldnt leave our energy future up to their decisions
The grid now depends on a mix of sources — gas plants wind farms and foreign power make up most of it. Winter supply planning shows interconnectors will provide 11% of peak-time power; thats almost triple compared to five years back
Recent events show system weak points: on oct-14 low wind output caused issues; and from 21 to early-23 a French connection worked at half-power due to fire damage. Energy consultant Kathryn Porter suggests that European countries might keep power for themselves when supplies are tight
The government wants Britain to be energy-independent by early-30s (with plans for clean power). However the energy watchdog Ofgem isnt supporting more connection projects; they found these links can push prices up in exporting countries
