We should be grateful to Europe for continuing to prop up the failing UK
power grid
IT may be of interest to note that yet again during this pandemic the UK
power grid has had to rely upon Europe.
Since last weekend, Scotland and the rest of mainland Britain has had to
depend upon European imported power to keep our lights on and our hospitals
and labs functioning as wind generation has collapsed and solar output in
the cloudy, short-daylight weather has been typically low and brief.
As at Tuesday mid-afternoon (March 2) Scotland was importing more than
1000MW from England, almost equivalent to a second Torness, who in turn are
importing 5000MW, the maximum possible, from Europe – mostly nuclear power
from France, where the new interconnector commissioned just recently is
running flat out.
UK wind with a connected capability of greater than 25000MW was producing
0.59MW, equivalent to 1.47 per cent of our demand.
Besides the European imports the UK is running close to maximum on
primarily imported gas at 52%, nuclear at 9.5%, burning of imported and
environmentally questionable American woodchips at 7.4% which we subsidise
at circa £780m per year through our bills, elderly coal stations using
imported coal at 6.7% and even filthy Open Cycle Gas Turbines.
We have been running coal almost every day over the last month with wind
having seriously nosedived yet again since midday last Saturday.
Whilst the French may have been reluctant initially to accept the Oxford
vaccine, we are obliged that they continue to power us in the continuing
absence of adequate UK baseload and standby capability during this latest
UK energy collapse.
DB Watson, Cumbernauld.
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