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Interestingly on a quick glance the UK does not seem to be part of the synchronized EU grid and has only a DC connection to France that provides 5% or less of t

Interestingly on a quick glance the UK does not seem to be part of the synchronized EU grid and has only a DC connection to France that provides 5% or less of the electricity used at any time. I may be wrong but the grid does not seem to be directly affected by the clusterfuck that Brexit will be.

dijit 7y ago
That's a very generous interpretation of the facts. We actually have lines going to Netherlands (which in turn pulls from Germany) and France, and one incoming that connects us to Norway.[0] I have friends who work in power stations up and down the country and they describe it as a "power sharing" situation, our grid feeds Netherlands and France (to a lesser extent at least), but more often we pull from them to fill our peaks. We actually have links to many countries it seems: https://blogs.platts.com/2019/01/31/uk-electricity-links-europe-multiply-even-brexit-looms/ https://blogs.platts.com/2019/01/31/uk-electricity-links-eur... [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_system_operator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_system_operator
- Reason077 7y ago
  That's right, the interconnectors are all bi-directional. They move electricity where it's needed according to market demand: when the wholesale price is higher in Britain than in (for example) France, the UK imports electricity. When the wholesale price is higher in France, which can happen during winter demand peaks as France has a lot of electric heating, the flow is reversed and the UK exports electricity.
- ashildr 7y ago
  Thanks, your and the other replies left me better informed than before.
Reason077 7y ago
Britain currently has HVDC interconnectors to France (2 GW), Belgium (NemoLink, 1 GW), and Netherlands (BritNed, 1 GW), as well as 2 interconnectors with Ireland (East-West and Moyle, 500 MW each) In addition, there are at least 5 new interconnectors due to be completed by the early 2020s: 2 more to France (IFA-2 and ElecLink), 2 to Norway (North Sea Link, NorthConnect), and 1 to Denmark (Viking link).
- blibble 7y ago
  there's several UK power stations that are legally required to run at less than full capacity due to EU's large combustion plant directive (+ other later directives) after leaving: in the event of a serious short term problem they can be spun up relatively easily until extra (better) capacity can be brought online
  - Reason077 7y ago
    All of the UK power plants that were affected by the Large Combustion Plant directive have since been closed permanently. The last one, Ironbridge, closed in November 2015. All remaining coal-fired power stations are legally required to close by 2025, but that's a UK decision, not an EU one. In reality they are being used less and less already, and most are likely to close well before 2025.
    - blibble 7y ago
      > "large combustion plant directive (>>+ other later directives<<)" the follow up directive is still very much in effect and has placed operating restrictions (mostly load and hour limits) on many UK power stations https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/industrial-emissions-directive-ied-environmental-permits-issued-2016-p-to-z https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/industrial-emissio... these can be lifted on November 1st (if required), and would radically change the economics of the UK's generation market (not that burning coal is a good thing, but it's better than rolling blackouts)
      - Reason077 7y ago
        > "these can be lifted on November 1st (if required), and would radically change the economics of the UK's generation market" How so? Coal-fired power plants are already uneconomic in the UK, and the ones that continue to operate do so with a government subsidy, the "Capacity Market", which essentially pays them to remain on standby in case they are needed. The European Commission actually ruled recently that the CM was illegal state aid, so if anything, Brexit just means that the CM can continue operating. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/electricity-market-reform-capacity-market https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/electricity-market...

dijit 7y ago

That's a very generous interpretation of the facts. We actually have lines going to Netherlands (which in turn pulls from Germany) and France, and one incoming that connects us to Norway.[0] I have friends who work in power stations up and down the country and they describe it as a "power sharing" situation, our grid feeds Netherlands and France (to a lesser extent at least), but more often we pull from them to fill our peaks. We actually have links to many countries it seems: https://blogs.platts.com/2019/01/31/uk-electricity-links-europe-multiply-even-brexit-looms/ https://blogs.platts.com/2019/01/31/uk-electricity-links-eur... [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_system_operator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_system_operator

Reason077 7y ago
That's right, the interconnectors are all bi-directional. They move electricity where it's needed according to market demand: when the wholesale price is higher in Britain than in (for example) France, the UK imports electricity. When the wholesale price is higher in France, which can happen during winter demand peaks as France has a lot of electric heating, the flow is reversed and the UK exports electricity.
ashildr 7y ago
Thanks, your and the other replies left me better informed than before.

Reason077 7y ago

Britain currently has HVDC interconnectors to France (2 GW), Belgium (NemoLink, 1 GW), and Netherlands (BritNed, 1 GW), as well as 2 interconnectors with Ireland (East-West and Moyle, 500 MW each) In addition, there are at least 5 new interconnectors due to be completed by the early 2020s: 2 more to France (IFA-2 and ElecLink), 2 to Norway (North Sea Link, NorthConnect), and 1 to Denmark (Viking link).

blibble 7y ago
there's several UK power stations that are legally required to run at less than full capacity due to EU's large combustion plant directive (+ other later directives) after leaving: in the event of a serious short term problem they can be spun up relatively easily until extra (better) capacity can be brought online
- Reason077 7y ago
  All of the UK power plants that were affected by the Large Combustion Plant directive have since been closed permanently. The last one, Ironbridge, closed in November 2015. All remaining coal-fired power stations are legally required to close by 2025, but that's a UK decision, not an EU one. In reality they are being used less and less already, and most are likely to close well before 2025.
  - blibble 7y ago
    > "large combustion plant directive (>>+ other later directives<<)" the follow up directive is still very much in effect and has placed operating restrictions (mostly load and hour limits) on many UK power stations https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/industrial-emissions-directive-ied-environmental-permits-issued-2016-p-to-z https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/industrial-emissio... these can be lifted on November 1st (if required), and would radically change the economics of the UK's generation market (not that burning coal is a good thing, but it's better than rolling blackouts)
    - Reason077 7y ago
      > "these can be lifted on November 1st (if required), and would radically change the economics of the UK's generation market" How so? Coal-fired power plants are already uneconomic in the UK, and the ones that continue to operate do so with a government subsidy, the "Capacity Market", which essentially pays them to remain on standby in case they are needed. The European Commission actually ruled recently that the CM was illegal state aid, so if anything, Brexit just means that the CM can continue operating. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/electricity-market-reform-capacity-market https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/electricity-market...