Commenting on the National Audit Office report published Friday 11 September 'Upgrading the Electricity Transmission Network', RenewableUK’s CEO Tara Singh said:
'We welcome the publication of this report and the rightful scrutiny that the NAO is placing on historic underinvestment in Britain’s electricity network.
'Wind cut wholesale power prices by 31% last year by pushing more expensive gas generation off the system. The problem identified by the NAO is that Britain’s outdated grid can’t yet move all that cheaper, homegrown power around the country efficiently.
'The wind industry has warned for twenty years that renewable generation and the grid must be built in parallel. The current crunch is the result of inaction by successive previous governments to tackle this issue. Consumers are losing out on some of the benefits because low-cost wind has to be turned down and expensive gas turned up elsewhere. This is a temporary problem with a clear solution: the NAO says constraint costs will fall significantly once grid upgrades are delivered, so we need to crack on and build them. According to the NAO’s report, if Britain can accelerate its network rollout, a typical household could be £30 a year better off than continuing at today’s slow pace.
'The NAO is right that this now requires urgent, coordinated action. The reforms already underway, alongside plans for a more strategic approach to building Britain’s energy infrastructure, provide a strong foundation and the industry is committed to playing its part. Government, Ofgem, the National Energy System Operator and network companies must deliver essential upgrades on time and be held publicly accountable on costs and progress. Greater transparency and more open discussions will be essential in achieving this. Britain has built clean power - we now need to build the grid that gets it to consumers as fast as possible.'
Source: Renewable UK
