Where Our Energy Comes From news, page 7
- January 2023
SSEN commits additional £3.5 million for Storm Arwen affected communities
SSEN Distribution has committed an additional £3.5 million for communities worst hit by Storm Arwen, covering local authority funding, its Resilient Communities Fund and network investment in north east Scotland.
First live DFS event held
The first live Demand Flexibility Service event on 23 January 2023 paid 400,000 households and businesses £3.37 per kilowatt hour for electricity demand they reduced.
SSEN energises Bournemouth network upgrade
SSEN has energised a 2.2 kilometre replacement cable between East Howe and Victoria Park substations in Bournemouth, completing a £2.7 million upgrade that began in March of last year.
Cost-Plus Revenue Limit to come into force
The government's temporary Cost-Plus Revenue Limit on low-carbon generators in England and Wales is planned to come into force from the start of 2023, under powers in the Energy Prices Bill.
Detailed design and construction phase begins for 12 SSEN projects
SSEN Distribution has appointed Freedom Group as design and build contractor for 12 network projects worth £41 million, with construction due to start in January 2023 and completion targeted for July 2024.
Gas costs push consumer electricity prices to four times 2021 levels
Ember analysis finds UK consumers paid four times more for electricity in January 2023 than two years earlier under Ofgem's price cap, as soaring gas costs drove the crisis peak.
UK imports no fossil fuels from Russia
The UK imported no coal, oil or gas from Russia in January 2023, as fossil fuel imports from Russia continued to fall after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
UK Power Networks next regulatory price control period begins
UK Power Networks has begun its next regulatory price control period, running from 2023 to 2028, after its Green Recovery programme drew 360 bids and led to 86 approved projects.
Welsh Government published consultation reviewing renewable energy targets
The Welsh Government has confirmed it consulted in January 2023 on renewable energy targets including 100% of annual electricity consumption from renewables by 2035 and 5.5GW of heat pump capacity.
Wind generation overtook gas in early 2023
Zapmap reports that in early 2023 wind farms supplied more UK electricity than gas, a figure it cites in a guide rebutting common claims about electric vehicles.
- December 2022
SSEN appoints Freedom Group of Companies Ltd as design and build contractor for £41 million programme
SSEN Distribution has appointed the Freedom Group of Companies Ltd as design and build contractor for 12 network investment projects worth £41 million, with construction due to start in January 2023.
SSEN reports multi-million pound upgrade to North Acton electricity network
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks has announced a multi-million pound upgrade to the electricity network serving North Acton, published on 13 December 2022.
ESO puts two coal power stations on stand-by amid low wind, solar and freezing temperatures
National Grid ESO placed two UK coal power stations on stand-by to help manage demand during a winter of low wind and solar generation and freezing temperatures.
Final decision on 20 per cent hydrogen grid blending by end of next year
The government has said it will decide by the end of 2023 whether to blend up to 20 per cent hydrogen into the natural gas grid, under the British Energy Security Strategy.
Holistic Network Design and Centralised Strategic Network Plan blueprint due by end of 2022
The government's British Energy Security Strategy, published in April 2022, set out a blueprint for the whole energy system by the end of 2022 through the Holistic Network Design and Centralised Strategic Network Plan.
- November 2022
CfD Allocation Round 4 secures 11GW of new wind and solar at record low offshore wind prices
Analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit finds the gas crisis will add £4,400 to the average household energy bill by April 2024, as Contracts for Difference auctions secure 11GW of new wind and solar.
Demand Flexibility Service launched
The Demand Flexibility Service, which pays households to cut electricity use at peak times, launched for winter 2022/23 after Ofgem approval, with 1.6 million homes and businesses taking part in its first season.
ECIU analysis finds UK gas imports could have been cut by a fifth with Estonian heat pump deployment rates
Analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit finds that matching Estonia's heat pump installation rate would have cut UK domestic gas use by 34% and gas imports by 19% in 2021.
- October 2022
CfD portfolio to start reducing consumer bills from October
Contracts for difference are set to turn negative from October, meaning low-carbon generators pay money back when electricity prices are very high, reducing consumer energy costs.
Price cap forecast raised to around £3,000 due to Ukraine conflict
Forecasts for the October 2022 energy price cap rose from £2,400 to around £3,000 after the conflict in Ukraine pushed up global gas prices, the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said.
SSEN announces VFES project to embed vulnerability features into network planning
SSEN Distribution has announced a £144,000 project to build forecasts of customer vulnerability into its network planning, with a report due in early 2023.
- September 2022
Energy Markets Financing Scheme announced jointly by HM Treasury and Bank of England
HM Treasury and the Bank of England have announced a joint Energy Markets Financing Scheme to address liquidity requirements faced by energy firms in UK wholesale gas and electricity markets, designed as a last resort.
Mini-Budget ends effective ban on onshore wind in England
The Chancellor's mini-Budget of September 2022 ended the effective ban on building onshore wind in England and added GBP1bn to a scheme that installs energy saving measures in fuel poor homes.
SSEN invests £6.8m to refurbish Dorset overhead network
SSEN has begun a 55-week, £6.8 million refurbishment of the overhead electricity network from Poole through Blandford Forum to the edge of Yeovil, due for completion in August 2023.
- August 2022
SSEN reports progress on £14.2m North West Highland network upgrade
SSEN Distribution says 200 new poles and 13km of overhead lines are in place between Slattadale and Ullapool as part of a £14.2m North West Highland network upgrade due for completion in March 2023.
Nord Stream 1 pipeline closed
Russian gas flows to Europe continued until the Nord Stream 1 pipeline closed in August 2022, six months after the invasion of Ukraine, leaving Europe unable to refill storage with Russian gas.
- July 2022
Ember analysis attributes 80% of UK wholesale electricity price rise to fossil gas
Ember analysis finds fossil gas caused 80 per cent of the rise in UK wholesale electricity prices between July 2021 and June 2022, with gas adding £93/MWh to a £120/MWh increase.
Mitchell & Webber calls for government backing of HVO as oil heating alternative
Cornish oil supplier Mitchell & Webber has converted more than 50 oil-fired appliances to hydro-treated vegetable oil since 2020 and is calling for government backing of a national HVO demonstration.
SSEN and Icebreaker One announce partnership to deliver net zero through better data
SSEN Distribution and the not-for-profit Icebreaker One have begun a partnership to build data-sharing systems intended to support the net zero transition and the rollout of electric vehicle charge points.
- June 2022
SSEN completes Automated Power Restoration System project in Oxfordshire
SSEN has completed a nine month project costing nearly £176,000 to install automated technology that can restore power to more than 150,000 Oxfordshire customers in under three minutes.