By The Daily Caller (U.S.) | Created at 2026-10-06 17:51:50 | Updated at 2026-10-07 20:37:18
1 day ago
The United Kingdom’s power grid scrambled for electricity Tuesday as collapsing wind generation exposed a fundamental weakness in the country’s aggressive green energy buildout.
Britain’s National Energy System Operator (NESO) warned the country could face a 1.9-gigawatt power shortfall Tuesday as wind generation plunges. Wind output was forecast to fall to just 2.2 gigawatts — roughly a quarter of its 2026 average — by 6 p.m., forcing the grid to hunt for additional power as evening demand picks up.
The sudden squeeze sent intraday electricity prices for delivery between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. above £400 per megawatt-hour, more than 50% above where the contracts settled Monday, Bloomberg reported. NESO’s warning is intended to coax additional generation onto the grid before supplies become dangerously tight.
Britain’s predicament illustrates the problem grid operators face as governments build electricity systems increasingly dependent on weather. Wind can produce enormous amounts of electricity when conditions cooperate, but grid operators cannot order the wind to blow when electricity demand rises.
NESO, the U.K. Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the European Commission did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
@neso_energy has another Electricity Margin Notice in place for today… Shortfall 1840 MW for 3pm to 11pm today This is an unusually wide timeframe covering far more than just the evening peak So what’s going on? Wind is set to be low dipping to 1700 MW at 6pm Solar will peak at 6758 MW at 1pm, be at 5882 MW at 3pm and zero from 7pm Interconnectors are nominated to export the max capacity of 8756 MW between 12:30pm and 2pm. Imports and then nominated to fall to 6285 MW at 3pm, 435 MW at 5pm and then flip to exports reaching 1979 MW between 6:30pm and 7pm. Exports are then set to fall, with the cables flipping to imports of 528 MW between 8:30pm and 9pm before heading back to export mode with exports reaching 1282 MW at 10:30pm which is the last available time right now Demand is forecast at 33,203 MW at 3pm, peaking for the evening at 33,940 MW at 7:30pm and then falling to 25,843 MW by 11pm The grid will be tightest between 5:30pm and 8pm where NESO will need imports to meet demand As before I expect NESO will turn to intraday SO-SO trades on the interconnectors to resolve this. It has been consistently buying back up to the cap for quite a large part of the past day and since 5:30am this morning I expect this will continue but I also expect the cap of 1500 MW in any settlement period to be breached. Again @Miatsf @mgshanks @AndrewBowie_MP @ClaireCoutinho @ColinMoynihanUK @griffitha @HarrietCross_MP @drlukeevans @ashley7fox @TiceRichard @cmackinlay @mattwridley @DavidGHFrost @Iromg @AllisonPearson @MerrynSW @EdConwaySky @afneil @mattotele @jonathan_leake @julietsamuel @energygovuk
— Kathryn Porter (@KathrynPorter26) October 6, 2026Wind became Britain’s largest source of electricity in 2025, supplying 29.7% of generation, according to NESO. The government plans to expand offshore wind to between 43 and 50 gigawatts and onshore wind to 27 to 29 gigawatts by 2030.
A single component failure can sideline an entire wind turbine. Gearboxes, generators, bearings and blades are among the largest drivers of downtime, while major offshore repairs can require specialized vessels and heavy-duty cranes. (RELATED: Blue States Join Lawsuit Against Trump’s Wind Energy Freeze)
Britain could need between 40 and 50 gigawatts of dispatchable and long-duration flexible capacity by 2030, while roughly 35 gigawatts of unabated natural gas capacity is expected to remain available as backup during periods of low renewable output, according to the government’s Clean Power 2030 plan.
The problem is not unique to the country. Europe has rapidly expanded weather-dependent generation while attempting to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, even as the European Commission acknowledged in May that variable renewable generation can make electricity prices more volatile. When wind and solar output falls, gas-fired plants can again become the marginal source of electricity and push wholesale prices higher.
The reliability challenge is becoming more pressing as electricity demand grows. Europe plans to at least triple its data center capacity over the next five to seven years even as the continent remains heavily dependent on imported energy. In the U.S., grid regulators have similarly warned that rapidly rising electricity demand could increase blackout risks if new generation fails to keep pace.
Grid operators have already confronted periods when lower wind and solar generation threaten reliability. The Department of Energy ordered backup generators online across the Southwest Power Pool in July as extreme heat, high demand and the potential for lower wind and solar output strained the grid.
Europe nevertheless aims to have renewables account for at least 42.5% of overall energy consumption by 2030, according to the European Commission’s website.
