Britain’s power grid provides electricity lifeline to Europe

Britain’s power system has been riding to the rescue of mainland Europe in recent months, becoming a net exporter of electricity for the first time since 2017 to make up for record shutdowns of French nuclear reactors.

Data from National Grid show that Britain has been a net exporter of electricity via subsea cables that connect to countries including France, Belgium and the Netherlands every month since the start of April. 

This is a significant change; Britain usually relies on imports from the continent to help balance its own grid, particularly during periods when renewables such as wind and solar aren’t generating. The last time the country was a net electricity exporter on a monthly basis was in November 2017.

The trend is largely driven by France having its lowest nuclear output for more than ten years as half of the country’s 56 reactors, which form the backbone of the country’s electricity system, were offline in May for refuelling or maintenance, as well as unexpected problems such as corrosion at older plants.

British gas-fired power stations have meanwhile taken advantage of increased cargoes of liquefied natural gas arriving at the country’s ports this year to generate more electricity for export.

The difficulties in France have pushed power prices in the country to record highs “which has led to the regular occurrence of [Great Britain] to France exports”, said Joe Camish, lead analyst at the consultancy Cornwall Insight.

France’s nuclear difficulties have exacerbated the energy crisis ravaging the continent as the EU prepares for further cuts in imports of Russian gas. 

The French government earlier this year capped electricity bills to shield consumers from the fallout. But the heads of France’s biggest energy companies — EDF, TotalEnergies and Engie — last month urged households and businesses to “immediately” reduce their energy consumption.

“The French nuclear situation and the war in Ukraine have changed the balance between export and import of power from the continent to the GB market,” said Phil Hewitt, director of energy consultancy EnAppSys.

EnAppSys believes Britain will continue to be a net exporter of electricity to mainland Europe even in the depths of winter, despite Britain normally relying on imports from countries such as France and, more recently, Norway to balance its own electricity grid during the darkest months. The UK government recently ordered National Grid to keep open two large coal-fired power stations that had been due to close in September.

Fintan Slye, head of National Grid ESO, which is in charge of Britain’s electricity system, told a conference in Oxford on Thursday that he agreed that the country would likely continue to help make up for shortfalls in French nuclear output this year. “The two system operators [Britain and France] talk on a continuous basis and the concept of mutual support in times of stress has always been there,” Slye said.

However, Hewitt warned that a reliance on coal during times of peak demand in Britain could lead to some “extreme pricing” during certain periods and “very tight margins” between supply and demand.

Cornwall Insight predicts gas and electricity bills for British households will rise to more than £3,200 a year — a 65 per cent increase — in October as a result of high wholesale gas and power prices, and jump further to more than £3,360 in January.

Additional reporting by Sarah White in Paris