The National Energy System Operator of Great Britain issued an alert on Thursday requesting generators to supply additional electricity for Friday evening as extreme temperatures drove up demand for air conditioning and cooling devices across the country. The operator forecast tight margins on the electricity system due to the heat wave affecting both Great Britain and continental Europe.
By Friday afternoon, Neso had negotiated an agreement to import additional electricity from European suppliers at £200 per megawatt-hour to meet expected demand, equivalent to powering approximately 3 million typical UK households. This import price represented nearly triple the average power cost recorded in June the previous year. The operator stated that while electricity supply margins were constrained, the supply itself was not at immediate risk and a blackout was not anticipated.
This was the second supply warning issued within the same week. On Tuesday, Neso had requested backup capacity ahead of Wednesday evening’s demand surge, when forecasters predicted that record high pressure conditions would reduce wind speeds, thereby diminishing renewable energy generation. The operator paid significantly above standard market rates to secure adequate supplies on Wednesday, with estimated expenditures reaching approximately £10 million for several hours of electricity provision, predominantly sourced from gas-fired power plants. Similar elevated costs are anticipated for Friday’s emergency supplies.
Power generation across Europe faced constraints from the extreme heat. Multiple gas plants in the UK reduced output due to temperature stress, while France reported four unplanned nuclear reactor outages after river temperatures rose too high for adequate cooling water supplies. In response, the French utility company EDF announced a €80 million allocation to install air conditioning systems in schools, nurseries, and childcare facilities to address future heatwave emergencies.
The heat dome was forecast to shift eastward from the weekend, bringing relief to western European nations but directing extreme conditions toward central Europe. The Czech Republic and Hungary issued red heat alerts for temperatures potentially reaching 40 degrees Celsius, with Hungary’s government requesting households reduce air conditioning usage during evening peak hours to conserve electricity supplies.
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