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The Energy Managers Association chief executive Lord Redesdale says that he “wholly expects blackouts this winter”.
Redesdale wrote in an opinion column for City AM that last year saw a capacity margin of just 1.5 per cent with blackouts and brownouts expected this winter.
“Renewables have been built at an astonishing rate, but the chancellor’s policies mean very little will be built over the next few years to fill the supply demand gap. New nuclear plants, such as Hinkley Point C, will only come online in the mid 2020s”, Redesdale said.
Redesdale’s comments come after National Grid asked firms last month to reduce their power demand, issuing a demand-side balancing reserve (DSBR) notice for the first time.
The transmission operator said in October that electricity margins are “manageable”. And in a seperate column alongside Redesdale’s, Utilitywise’ head of energy markets Jon Ferris said the “reopening of mothballed gas plants” makes him confident that the UK “will not suffer electricity blackouts this winter”.
The solution to our shortage, according to Redesdale, is energy efficiency.
The UK wastes 40 per cent of its power and “companies could make these savings but there is a major lack of energy managers and investment,” he says.
“Time to get out the candles,” he said.
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