🚨 Britain faces a “significant risk” of gas shortages this winter because of Russia’s war in Ukraine and undersupply in Europe, the energy regulator Ofgem has said

thetimes.co.uk/article/blacko… Ofgem said there was a possibility that Britain could enter a “gas supply emergency” in which supplies to some gas-fired power plants could be cut off

That would raise the risk of blackouts since Britain relies heavily on gas plants for electricity generation

The proposed £20 billion Sizewell C nuclear plant is at risk of cost overruns and delays, the government has admitted

Despite this, it’s concluded that a deal to fund it through taxpayer investment and levies on household energy bills will be “value for money”… How has the government arrived at this conclusion? We’re not allowed to know (yet) - EDF’s latest cost estimates haven’t been disclosed, and the government’s analysis is all redacted

https://twitter.com/DrSimEvans/status/1537002594429714433

Britain must not become more reliant on gas imports, @GregHands tells me, as he invokes the Ukraine crisis to make the case for continued North Sea drilling for energy security reasons

But increased production would have only "minimal" impact on prices...
thetimes.co.uk/article/north-… Energy minister also says government is not considering reviving fracking, which was banned in 2019 over earth tremors

"Unless compelling scientific evidence is provided to address these concerns and ensure that communities are on board, I don’t see a change in that moratorium.”

Revealed: the energy secretary met oil bosses for dinner days after COP26 to encourage them to keep drilling in the North Sea

The meeting aimed to reassure industry the government wants oil & gas investment, despite pledges to move away from fossil fuels

thetimes.co.uk/article/kwasi-… 13 Nov: Glasgow climate pact signed at COP26, aiming to keep in reach the 1.5C global warming limit, which the IEA says means no new oil & gas fields

16 Nov: government holds private dinner in London with execs from Shell, BP etc to encourage more North Sea oil & gas investment

Most wind farms in Britain will not be economically viable when existing subsidies end and will close prematurely without further revenue support, new analysis finds

ICYMI yesterday, my story… and a few thoughts… (🧵)

thetimes.co.uk/article/offsho… Firstly: the story was based on a new report by @LcpEnergy for @SSE. It proposes a series of reforms that it claims could cut the costs of net zero by £48bn. (Fair to say they'd likely also benefit SSE in the process.)

You can read the full report here:

https://twitter.com/SSE/status/1419619882904215552?s=20

EDF says Covid construction delays mean Hinkley Point C nuclear plant won’t start up til June 2026 (had been due end 2025) & will now cost up to £23bn.

Previously announced risk of (non-Covid-related) 15 month delays & £700m cost overrun remains in addition to that. EDF insists the latest Hinkley cost overrun reflects "a health crisis, not an issue with construction".

Says ongoing distancing means it has not "been able to bring on the extra people needed to catch up on work we postponed at the height of the crisis".
thetimes.co.uk/article/edf-bl…

National Grid could pay EDF more than £50 million to reduce output from Britain’s biggest nuclear reactor to avert the risk of blackouts this summer 🕯🕯🕯

Another little scoop in today’s @thetimes... and another a little 🧵...

thetimes.co.uk/article/big-is… Low power demand in lockdown is making it trickier for National Grid to keep the lights on, risking the network being swamped with too much power.

As I reported on Saturday, it’s already seeking emergency rights to disconnect small wind and solar plants

https://twitter.com/emilygosden/status/1256540336572313600?s=21

Scoop: National Grid warns that Britain could be at risk of blackouts on Friday.

It’s told Ofgem there’s a “significant risk of disruption to security of supply” unless it’s granted emergency powers to switch off wind & solar farms.

My story, and a 🧵...
thetimes.co.uk/article/blacko… To keep the lights on National Grid has to keep electricity supply and demand balanced in real time.

Too much or too little power and the system becomes unstable, which can cause blackouts 🕯🕯🕯

National Grid will today submit its preliminary technical report to Ofgem on last Friday’s blackouts.

Here’s my exclusive in today’s @thetimes on what I understand to be its initial findings...

thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/l…

Key points: (🧵) 1) Both Hornsea offshore wind farm & Little Barford gas plant are believed to have failed within seconds of each other after a lightning strike to the grid near Little Barford. This caused disturbance that both should’ve been able to withstand; Hornsea had a “technical fault”
⚡️

The plot thickens re: Friday’s blackouts. A very nerdy thread... So: initial expert analysis suggested Little Barford gas plant tripped first, followed by Hornsea wind farm shortly after (as I pointed out here

https://twitter.com/emilygosden/status/1159919198900019207?s=21

when some immediately blamed it all on wind farms)...

Last night the government finally published its consultation on using the Regulated Asset Base funding model for future nuclear plants - the model EDF is lobbying for to support Sizewell in Suffolk, the proposed sister plant to Hinkley Point... ...in short, this means energy consumers will have to pay for nuclear plants while they are being built and will be on the hook for cost overruns... thetimes.co.uk/edition/busine…