Great Britain's electricity grid fortified against blackouts after Iberian crash
10 hours ago
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- Great Britain's energy system operator (Neso) has improved monitoring of domestic electricity grids to 'future proof' the low-carbon power network.
- Following power cuts in Spain and Portugal in April, Neso began identifying dangerous fluctuations to prevent outages.
- The Iberian peninsula experienced disturbances causing power plants to disconnect, with an official report on the incident expected later this year.
- The blackout left many without power for two days, disrupting internet, mobile networks, and the Madrid Open tennis tournament.
- Spain's renewables-heavy power system raised concerns about balance compared to thermal power plant grids.
- Neso introduced a new 'mathematical methodology' for real-time monitoring to prevent future power cuts.
- Craig Dyke, Neso's director of operations, emphasized continuous learning and improvement despite Britain's reliable network.
- Neso is developing protocols to restore power within five days after any nationwide blackout, aiming to meet this by next year.
- Energy minister Michael Shanks affirmed Britain's grid is 'secure and resilient' with strong safeguards against such outages.