Home›Global Markets›Trade & Tariffs›UK grid operator gains power to trigger short notice r…

UK grid operator gains power to trigger short notice rolling blackouts

Neso says rotating blackouts could start with as little as eight hours' notice, cutting blocks of demand by more than a fifth.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Trade & Tariffs

Great Britain’s grid operator, Neso, has received new rules allowing it to order rolling blackouts on short notice as a last-resort measure to prevent a wider grid collapse when electricity supplies run low, the Guardian Business reports.

Under the updated grid codes, effective this week, the national electricity system operator can disconnect enough homes and businesses in designated areas to cut each block’s electricity use by more than 20% with eight hours’ notice, producing three-hour blackouts across the country if needed.

The operator can also stabilize the grid using large-scale power cuts without emergency government powers for the first time, according to the report, with the rules approved by the industry regulator late last month.

The Guardian Business notes the change comes shortly after control room whistleblowers accused Neso senior leaders of trying to cover up blackout risks during a heatwave, and it adds that in a worst case scenario full restoration could take five to seven days.

More like this

Sources