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Britain's grid upgrade delays could raise costs, NAO report says
The National Audit Office said constraint costs have already added nearly £2 billion a year and could reach £7.8 billion by 2030.
- A new National Audit Office report warns that delays in upgrading aging electricity infrastructure threaten to significantly increase consumer bills as planned grid upgrades will test systems not designed for current activity levels.
- Successive governments failed to expand the grid alongside renewable generation, adding almost £2 billion annually to bills; the National Energy System Operator intervenes when capacity is insufficient by paying wind farms to turn off and gas plants to turn on.
- NESO deemed 80 projects necessary in its 2024 Clean Power advice, but only 64 are ongoing and others are missing target dates. Without preventative action, constraint payments could increase to £7.8 billion, the NAO found.
- Ofgem estimates the UK needs £70 billion in grid investment by the early next decade, with network charges projected to rise though consumers may see overall long-term savings.
- Gareth Davies, Head of the NAO, noted that value for money now depends on project delivery, as insufficient grid capacity could hamper broader economic growth and hinder new connections.
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Britain's grid upgrade delays could raise costs, NAO report says
Britain's National Audit Office said in a report on Friday that many upgrades to the country's electricity transmission grid are at risk of not being delivered and could increase short-term costs for consumers.
·London, United Kingdom
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left1Leaning Right3Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
13%
C 50%
R 37%
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