National Grid has warned that it could ask UK power plants, including some wind farms, to switch off in order to avoid the network being overwhelmed with electricity as the Covid-19 pandemic hits demand.
The UK network operator said there has been a 10% drop in power demand in recent weeks and this could rise to as much as 20% in the summer if the impact of the coronavirus continues.
National Grid said the fall is mainly down to a decrease in energy use by industry and commerce, which is much greater than any increases created by people staying at home.
“If the summer demand for electricity continues to remain lower than normally experienced due to Covid-19 measures remaining in place, we would expect to need to take more action to balance and operate the power system,” the company said in its ‘Summer Outlook’ report.
Options that National Grid could take include curtailing flexible wind output at the national level via the Balancing Mechanism or via direct trade.
The company could also ask pumped hydro storage generators to use surplus electricity to move water back to their top lakes.
National Grid could also reduce the level of interconnector imports or issue a local or national Negative Reserve Active Power Margin (NRAPM).
A NRAPM is a way to tell power stations that National Grid might need them to turn down output to retain a safety margin.
“It’s just as important for us to manage these lower demands for electricity as it is to manage the peak demands,” the company said.
“It’s a different set of challenges that we plan for, and are used to dealing with.”