Britain’s electricity grid could operate free of domestic fossil fuels for the first time ever this summer, according to the organisation responsible for managing the country's electricity and gas network.

The National Energy System Operator, NESO, confirmed it aims to reach the first moment of 'zero gas' on the grid for a 30-minute period this year.

A spokesperson for the grid operator said it is investigating 'potential opportunities' which could come as soon as this summer. The operator has an official target of 2025 to reach the first half hour without domestic gas on the system, a target that was set back in 2019.

If successful, it is understood the move could make the UK the first industrialised economy to remove fossil fuels from its electricity generation mix.

Only a handful of other countries, mainly those that rely on large reserves of hydro-electric or geothermal power, have managed to decarbonise their energy grids consistently. They include Iceland, Lesotho and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Experts called the moment “a first glimpse of the future of our power system.”

Dr. Neil Grant, Senior Climate and Energy Analyst at Climate Analytics, said: “Even just a decade ago, very serious people insisted that the grid couldn’t run on renewables, that fossil fuel power was essential to a stable grid.

“The UK’s power system transition is proving them wrong. First coal and now gas are being squeezed out of the system by renewables and batteries.”

Adam Bell, Head of Policy at Stonehaven and previously Head of Energy Strategy in the energy department, said: "This is a critically important step. Running the system without any fossil-based spinning reserve and instead relying on the stability services that batteries, storage and renewable energy sources can provide is our first glimpse of the future of our power system."

The grid previously reached a record just 2.4% generated by fossil fuels UK in April last year. Since last year additional solar capacity has been added to the grid, meaning a final decision could now be taken before the end of August.

Dr Simon Evans, Deputy Editor at Carbon Brief, said: “The first half-hour period with no gas is most likely to come in the shoulder months of spring or autumn. You need the right weather conditions, demand and tools on the grid but autumn is the most likely moment.”

Gas turbines provide crucial ‘inertia’ to the grid, ensuring stability and preventing blackouts like those seen in Spain and Portugal this spring, meaning alternative sources need to be found to ensure the grid remains stable with renewables.

Britain’s nationalised energy operator has been working to maintain inertia on the grid by purchasing "stability services,” which include spinning flywheels and turbines kept in reserve at sites like theCruachan hydro power plant in Scotland.

The rise of solar energy during the day across the UK is making the switch possible. In April sunny weather helped British solar generate a new UK record high of more than 12.5 gigawatts of electricity - equal to four nuclear power plants.

However, switching off domestic gas does not mean the grid is completely free of fossil fuels, with 12-18% of the UK’s energy still imported from Europe and Norway via undersea cables called interconnectors.

These countries are not required to declare what kind of power they produce, so while French nuclear power and Norwegian hydro-electricity is largely fossil free, Danish, Dutch and Belgian power still includes a higher percentage of gas and coal generation.

Grid expert, Jacob Mandel, Research Lead at Aurora Energy Research, said: “It’s inevitable at some point the UK will be running its electricity grid with no contribution from gas for a short period of time. This is a trend that’s been long in development.

“We’ve seen over the last few years gas use falling and falling, with more renewables built out in the UK and contributing to generation. There are still difficulties to get

For interview requests, contact Joshua Robinson joshua@climatecentre.org.uk

Tags

More Like This

Government sets out plan for new era of clean electricity

Clean energy projects prioritised for grid connections

New publicly owned National Energy System Operator to pave the way to a clean energy future

New coal mining licences will be banned

New poll shows Brits getting behind the shift to clean energy as final coal power station closes

Government secures record pipeline of clean cheap energy projects

Government rips up rules to fire-up nuclear power

Strategic plan for long-term energy infrastructure