Brits 'paying £2m an hour' to keep gas power stations running in freezing temperatures – how many watts does it cost?

From the Daily Skeptic

by Will Jones

Households were paying the equivalent of £2m an hour to gas power stations today after low winds and frigid temperatures left grid bosses scrambling to keep the power on. this telegraph There is more.

As cold weather sweeps across the southeast, the National Energy System Operator (Neso) has warned that power supplies are expected to be particularly tight between 4pm and 7pm.

The crisis has forced grid operators to pay huge fees to natural gas power plant owners to keep them running. The cost will ultimately be borne by households and businesses through their bills.

Transparency data shows that at one point they agreed to pay the equivalent of £1.8 million an hour to Rye House power station in Hertfordshire.

Three gas-fired units at Connah's Quay in North Wales are also being paid a total of £2m an hour.

Neso declined to comment on the payments.

Colder weather is expected to lead to increased electricity consumption as more people stay indoors, watch television and use gas or electric heaters.

At the same time, a sharp decline in wind power and low availability of electricity interconnections with Europe are also putting greater pressure on the grid.

Worth reading in full.

Meanwhile, Net Zero Watch reports that renewable energy subsidies will hit a new high in 2024. It is likely to reach £2.4 billion when fully completed.

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