No longer out of sight - focus on energy policy now a priority for UK business

National Grid’s report to Ofgem this week following the August power outage puts into sharp focus the importance of a secure and flexible supply of energy to the UK economy. A series of events, several triggered by a lightning strike, led to the loss of more generation than all the back-up National Grid has available and 1.1m customers lost power. An emergency is often needed to raise the public’s awareness of what’s happening in the country.

It was comparatively easy to manage the National Grid when the UK’s electricity was supplied by a few large coal and nuclear power stations. We knew where the power was coming from, and where it was likely to be needed. In Q1 2019, renewables share of electricity generation increased to 35.8%  and this figure will continue to rise. Yet although this is an important step on the road to net-zero carbon, management of the grid