[Jimbuna]

Ed the Chipmunk strikes again!!

Low winds leave south of England reliant on French power

Southern England has been left reliant on French power after low winds curtailed domestic energy supplies.

More than half of the electricity used in the South East was imported on Tuesday morning, according to data from the National Energy System Operator. The bulk came from France, alongside imports from Belgium and the Netherlands.

Similarly, the North East also imported 52pc of its electricity, largely from Norway, as wind power contributed to just 2pc of the region’s power.

It comes amid mounting pressure on Ed Miliband’s clean power revolution, as the Energy Secretary has vowed to turbocharge the roll-out of renewables to hit net zero by 2050.

An increasing reliance on wind and solar has sparked fears of energy shortages across Britain, particularly after net zero was blamed for recent blackouts across Spain and Portugal.

Overall, around 25pc of the power consumed by the UK over the last 24 hours came from overseas, with France providing around 12.7pc.

The picture was, however, very different in the South West, where high levels of sunshine on Tuesday meant the region was drawing nearly 70pc of its electricity from solar.

The UK’s reliance on imported power has grown in recent years after the mass closure of coal and gas-fired power plants.

Strain on the UK’s energy supplies has also been exacerbated by the power grid’s inability to transmit large swathes of power from northern wind farms to cities in the South.

Pressure often builds during periods of low wind, such as this week when speeds dropped to as low as 1mph.

The UK’s growing reliance on electricity generated by its European neighbours is both politically awkward and expensive.

The system works via an expanding network of subsea, high-voltage power cables connecting the UK to France, Norway, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Ireland.

In theory, electricity can be exported or imported, but the UK’s lack of reliable generation means the traffic is largely one-way.

This means the UK is increasingly reliant on costly energy imports from Europe, which are ultimately paid by consumers.

According to the Office for National Statistics, electricity imports cost the UK £3.1bn last year, up from £1.2bn in 2018.

Andrew Bowie, Tory MP, said: “Far from providing energy security, Ed Miliband’s ideological obsession with net zero means that the UK has to pay extortionate prices to import electricity from other countries when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine.
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