National Grid poised to start emergency winter plan as energy prices soar

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The UK electricity network operator is poised to activate its emergency
winter plan after energy prices rose amid falling temperatures and growing
concern over power supplies.

National Grid indicated it could announce on Monday afternoon that it was
issuing a requirement for consumers to use its new demand flexibility
service from Tuesday, which rewards businesses and households that shift
their power usage away from times of peak demand.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/28/national-grid-emergency-winter-plan-energy-prices

Energy specialists are concerned that Britain’s power systems could be
threatened by lower temperatures, which increase demand; still weather
reducing wind power and the slow return of a series of French nuclear
reactors, which have been out of action due to maintenance.

Gas and electricity prices soared on Monday morning after the Met Office
issued yellow bad weather warnings over the weekend and some forecasters
suggested cold temperatures over Russia could hit the UK next month, in an
echo of the “beast from the east” snowstorms that hit the UK in 2018.

The price of gas for next-day delivery rose to 260p, up from 153p when
markets closed on Friday night. UK wholesale power prices neared £400 a
megawatt hour, up from about £150 MWh last week. The daily auction on the
N2EX, the trading market place for power, showed prices for tomorrow hit
£1066 a MWh, data from energy data specialist EnAppSys showed.

Live data from National Grid’s electricity system operator (ESO) showed
60% of Britain’s electricity generation was from gas-fired power plants,
11% from nuclear and 7% each from wind power and imports, typically from
undersea cables from France and Norway.

The sharp rise in prices comes amid heightened concerns over the security
of Britain’s energy supplies since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

### - now if ya listen very carefully heh, that feint grumbling background
murmur you can just about hear/feel, is actually an echo of all the
grinding/gnashing teeth of frustrated politicians in the uk, and across
europe, as the pain of actual 'payment' for this war begins to bite?
(owwch!)

and while we've yet to have any actual power cuts here, they's NOT at ALL
happy at the prospect!?

the whole THING'S goin' pear-shaped!

and the next government just waiting in the wings for the current
conservative one to fall?

and THAT'S a lot of pressure... to act!

"but don't speak too soon as the wheel's still in spin
coz the times they are a-changin'"

;)