The capacity margin of the GB electricity system could continue to fall over the next five years as old generating plants close, presenting an increasing risk of power cuts, according to a report published today by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
The Academy study, was undertaken at the request of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology (CST) to explore whether the capacity margin of the GB electricity system could reach unacceptably low levels within this decade.
The Academy working group concluded that although the electricity supply is expected to be sufficient to cover predicted levels of demand, it is likely to stretch the system close to its limits, notably during the winter of 2014-15, increasing the chances of power outages if several adverse events (low wind, cold weather, unplanned plant outages) were to happen at the same time.
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