‘King coal is dead’: End of an era as UK switches off coal
The UK has become the first G7 nation to completely phase out coal power, bringing to an end a 142-year era of burning the fossil fuel for electricity generation.
Grid & Retail
Construction begins on 2GW Scotland-England transmission cable
National Grid and SSEN Transmission have broken ground on the Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) subsea transmission cable that will connect Peterhead in Scotland to Drax in England.
GE Vernova boosts HVDC manufacturing capacity in England
US energy giant GE Vernova (NYSE: GEV) has completed an expansion of its grid solutions business in Stafford, England to meet growing demand for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable in the offshore wind sector in the UK as well as Europe, Asia and North America.
Beauly-Denny power line has had ‘no impact’ on property prices
House prices along the Beauly-Denny transmission line have grown at similar rates to others in the region, suggesting the project’s pylons have had minimal negative effects on property values, new research has said.
UK gas plants kept offline by wind and solar
UK gas-fired power plants are running at their lowest hours of operation since 2017 owing to high levels of wind, solar and imports from Norway and France into the national grid.
Ed Miliband says Labour will take on clean energy ‘blockers’
Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband has vowed to “take on the blockers, the delayers, the obstructionists” to build clean energy infrastructure.
BEAMA launches quarterly report to boost electrification
UK trade association BEAMA has launched its first Market Pulse quarterly report with the goal of kickstarting its #AcceleratingElectrification campaign, aimed at boosting investment in the UK’s electrical manufacturing supply chain.
National Grid agrees £630m sale of electricity system operator to UK government
National Grid has reached an agreement with the UK government to sell its Electricity System Operator (ESO) for £630 million.
SSEN awards key contracts for Orkney-Caithness Link subsea cableproject
SSEN Transmission has awarded key contracts for a subsea cable project that will connect the Orkney Islands to the Scottish mainland for the first time.
Harmony Energy energises two English battery storage projects
Investment firm Harmony Energy Income Trust (LON:HEIT) has energised two battery energy storage systems (BESS) in England representing 166 MWh capacity.
Eku completes commissioning of Maldon BESS project
Energy storage company Eku Energy has completed the commissioning of the Maldon battery energy storage system (BESS) in Maldon, Essex. The system is designed to provide flexibility to enable more renewable generation to connect to the UK grid, thereby increasing the resilience of the country’s electricity network.
Drax to pay £25 million for misreporting biomass data
Drax Group Plc will pay £25 million ($32.9 million) after UK regulator Ofgem found that the company had misreported data about the biomass it burns in its power plant.
UK-Ireland Greenlink interconnector completed
Japanese firm Sumitomo Electric has announced the completion of the Greenlink Interconnector cable project between the UK and Ireland.
Scotland could see lowest power prices in Europe from market reforms, but risks remain for renewables developers
Scotland could benefit from the lowest power prices in Europe if plans to introduce zonal pricing reforms go ahead, according to a study.
SSEN refines Kintore-Tealing route despite calls to ditch current design
SSEN Transmission has refined the route for its Kintore to Tealing 400kV power line despite calls for it to ditch its overhead design.
The National Grid Interview: Chief strategy and regulation officer, Ben Wilson (2/2)
Energy Voice speaks to Ben Wilson, chief strategy and regulation officer at National Grid, to gauge the operator’s view on the challenges at the core of the energy transition.
Closer ties between the UK and Europe post-election can drive energy security
With Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosting EU leaders last week, all eyes are on the relationship between the UK’s new government and its European neighbours. While there will be a lot to discuss, from security to the economy, it is important that there is clarity on the UK’s collaboration with Europe in terms of the energy transition and security.
The National Grid Interview: Chief strategy and regulation officer, Ben Wilson (1/2)
Energy Voice speaks to Ben Wilson, chief strategy and regulation officer at National Grid, to gauge the operator’s view on the challenges at the core of the energy transition.
GB Energy, SAF support among Labour pledges in King’s Speech
Labour promised to “take the brakes off Britain” as it unveiled its energy policy priorities in the King's Speech today.
E.ON leverages AI to build UK’s first low-carbon energy-sharing network
Digitally managed energy balancing and sharing technology across site-wide networks could bring substantial cost and emissions savings.
UK energy firms oppose plans for cheaper deals for new customers
UK energy suppliers and consumer-protection groups are urging the regulator to maintain a ban on cheaper tariffs for new customers that was introduced during the energy crisis to help stabilize the market.
‘Light on detail’: What do academic experts make of the UK election energy debate?
As the UK nears the end of an election campaign where energy policy has featured prominently, experts say the debate has been heavy on rhetoric but light on detail.
Drax sells SME customer book to EDF
UK electricity generator Drax Group (LON: DRX) has sold a book of 90,000 small and medium (SME) business customers to French retail energy giant EDF.
Labour manifesto promises ‘phased and responsible’ North Sea transition
The Labour Party released its election manifesto promising a “phased and responsible” transition in the North Sea and pledged to make Britain a “clean energy superpower”.
SSEN and Hitachi progress Scottish subsea cable links projects
SSEN Transmission said the Western Isles and Spittal-Peterhead HVDC links remain on track for 2030 energisation.