NESO issues electricity margin notice for Monday morning as wind output falls

Mixed · 2The National Energy System Operator (NESO) issued an electricity margin notice on Sunday night, 8 November, asking the market to make more generation available on Monday morning. 1 2 Mixed · 2The notice covered a system margin shortfall of 1,388 megawatts from 6am to 11am on Monday 9 November. 1 2 Mixed · 2Both outlets attribute the tightness to low wind generation; the Guardian says forecasts of low wind across Europe were the cause. 1 2

Mixed · 2A NESO spokesperson called the notice "a routine and precautionary measure" and said it was "not a warning of power cuts", that there was "no risk to customer electricity supplies", and that customers need not act. 1 2 Left · 1According to the Guardian, the notice said NESO needed about 800MW of extra generation, roughly a medium-sized gas power plant, before a review scheduled for 4am. 2 Left · 1The Guardian reports that a second notice after the pre-dawn review showed the shortfall had shrunk to 500MW, with no further contingency power required, though NESO could still call on plants to generate more between 8am and 11am; a further review was set for 7.30am. 2

Left · 1The Guardian calls the notice rare, saying such notices were typically used on cold winter evenings, and notes an increase in NESO alerts in recent months, including the first margin notices issued in summer during heatwaves. It adds that the notice came with no grid constraints and while the UK was forecast to export electricity to Europe. 2 Right · 1The Express quotes NESO's website describing such notices as a routine way of communicating with the market, meaning it would like a larger cushion of spare capacity rather than that there is too little electricity to meet demand. 1