UK Power Grid Strain Increases as Wind Speed Declines; Mild Weather to Relieve Energy Crunch

The system in Britain will become more congested due to drops in wind and nuclear electricity, but the mild weather will lessen the burden.

On Sunday and Monday, only a small percentage of the 28 gigawatts of installed wind power in the nation will be operating.

Nuclear power plant outages, which typically account for 14% of the nation's energy mix, will also increase the nation's reliance on gas.

UK Power Grid Tightens as Wind Drops

(Photo : GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)

With the grid operator still waiting to order generation from the reserve coal plants it has paid over £400 million ($484 million) to keep operating this winter, the UK's energy crisis has largely subsided. Even though it's still heating season, milder temperatures have reduced demand and cheaper gas prices have reduced costs, as per Bloomberg.

The wind energy output is scheduled to peak at 3.3 gigawatts at six o'clock. Approximately 6 gigawatts were expected to be the top on Monday evening, according to data gathered by Bloomberg, which peaked on Sunday.

In addition to the current outages at three other nuclear units, a 620-megawatt unit at Hartlepool's Electricite de France SA nuclear reactor is scheduled to go down for maintenance on Friday evening through March.

The four outages add up to 2.5 gigawatts together, or approximately a third of the UK's entire nuclear capacity.

However, unlike on the days when supplies were the tightest this winter, when balancing prices reached £6,000 per megawatt-hour, there isn't a sudden blast of cold weather threatening the market.

An ECMWF forecast predicts that temperatures will continue to be above the 30-year average, averaging roughly 6 degrees Celsius on Sunday and Monday.

Also Read: UK Weather Update: Met Office Warns of Dangerous Snow, Ice Conditions; Flood Warnings Reported

Widespread Wintry Conditions

Today (Friday, February 10) the Met Office updated its long-range prognosis for the UK and started warning about snowy conditions and substantially colder temperatures next month, as per Gloucestershire live.

It comes after rumors of a "Beast from the East" connected to a potential abrupt warming of the stratosphere.

Extreme cold weather does not always follow such an occurrence, and as March approaches, the Met Office is still simply discussing possibilities.

But now it refers to a "likelihood" rather than a "low" possibility of cooler temperatures. While SSWs in 2019 and this January were similar to those in 2018, they did not result in the intense cold that the Beast from the East brought.

On Wednesday, dry conditions are anticipated throughout much of the UK, with sunny intervals and patchy cloud cover.

Parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland could have some showery outbreaks, although any precipitation is likely to dissipate fairly rapidly.

Much of central, southern, and eastern England and Wales are forecast to stay dry into the weekend, while some frontal systems may move in from the north and west.

By the conclusion of the period, variable weather is likely to continue, bringing with it spells of cloud cover, rain, and strong gusts in addition to some more stable conditions.

The greatest winds are predicted to be in the north and west. In the north, showers may briefly become snowy. Generally warm temperatures, but some local frost is likely in the clear sky, especially in the east.

The end of February is set to continue with variable weather, with the northwest likely to have the wettest and windiest conditions.

Shorter rainy periods may occur in the south and east, although more stable weather is still a possibility. High pressure is anticipated to build to the north of the UK until March, while low pressure will rule the south and southwest.