𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Britons are at risk of higher electricity bills as billions of pounds are squandered paying to turn off wind farms and turn on gas plants, according to a alarming report on the state of the nation’s creaking power grid. Its inability to carry enough electricity from where it is produced to where it is needed means such costs could soar from just under £2billion in 2025-26 to nearly £8billion by the end of the decade, the National Audit Office (NAO) warns.

The grid operator pays electricity generators to take action to stop transmission wires being overloaded. This normally involves shutting off power from wind farms while taking electricity from gas plants.

Shadow Energy Secretary Andrew Bowie said: “Labour rushed to hit arbitrary renewable targets without building the grid to carry the power, and taxpayers are now footing the bill twice over with a net zero double whammy.”

Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice said there was “no better illustration of what net zero madness looks like” than making payments to switch off electricity from wind farms.

He said: “We need to scrap these unachievable targets, strip the crushing green levies off household bills and put cheap, reliable energy security first.”

The NAO says an upgrade to the grid which could cost £70billion is “critical to avoid large rises” in bills as more of Britain’s power comes from clean sources. It warns that many improvements are at risk of not being delivered in time and this could force up the cost to bill-payers.

Britain’s economy will suffer, it adds, if the grid lacks the capacity to meet growing demand.

Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, warned: “Failure to implement these necessary grid upgrades will hamper economic growth as well as increase consumer bills.”

Tone Langengen of the Tony Blair Institute said “cheaper energy must be prioritised over clean energy” in the immediate term with a clear focus on bringing down “costs for British families and industry”.

The NAO reports that a typical household paid £44 towards building and maintaining the grid this year. This cost is expected to rise to £104 per household by March 2031. However, the improvements are expected to reduce dependence on gas and leave consumers £30 a year better off in 2030-31 than if upgrades were not accelerated.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, who chairs Westminster’s public accounts committee, said: “Renewables now generate the majority of the UK’s electricity, but the grid has failed to keep pace and is in dire need of upgrading to support the transition to clean energy… Years of underinvestment already cost consumers almost £2billion a year in payments to manage network constraints, which may rise to up to £8billion by 2030.”

A spokesperson for the National Energy System Operator (NESO), which intervenes to ensure the smooth running of the grid, said: “We are doing everything within our control to keep balancing costs down while maintaining security of supply and will continue working with government, Ofgem and network companies on the strategic planning needed to support delivery across the system.”

And a spokesperson for energy regulator Ofgem insisted that a “stronger grid will connect more home-grown renewable power, reduce costly constraints on the system and help shield consumers from volatile international gas prices”.

Energy minister Michael Shanks said: “This report is another stark reminder of the cost of years of historic underinvestment in the grid. As the National Audit Office recognises in its report, our once-in-a-generation reforms are finally building the infrastructure we need: reducing our dependence on the fossil fuels that leave households exposed to price spikes and helping lower people’s bills for good.”