Investing.com -- On Wednesday, the United Kingdom (TADAWUL:4280) experienced a significant drop in wind power production, causing a shift to more expensive gas-fired electricity. Normally, wind turbines throughout the UK generate about 10 gigawatts of electricity daily.
However, during a calm period on Wednesday morning, this output dropped dramatically to 0.22 gigawatts, as reported by the National Energy System Operator.
The decrease in wind energy production led to an increase in intraday electricity prices, which exceeded £600 per megawatt-hour at 5:30 p.m., according to data from Epex Spot SE. This is a significant rise, given that wind energy is a key component of the UK's strategy to eliminate reliance on fossil fuels for its power grid by 2030.
The last time wind generation fell lower than this was in 2015. At that time, the grid's capacity for renewable energy was less than half of its current capacity. The fluctuating supply of wind energy can lead to price surges on calm, windless days when the country has to resort to burning gas or importing energy from abroad.
This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.