The Quiet Driving Force Behind Rising Curtailment Costs in Great Britain
9 hours ago
- #wind energy
- #electricity market
- #energy infrastructure
- Wind farm output curtailment due to network capacity issues is a major concern in the electricity sector.
- Balancing costs are rising, driven by thermal constraints and the need to curtail wind energy in Scotland.
- The National Energy System Operator (NESO) manages real-time balancing, often requiring gas generation to replace curtailed wind.
- Recent data shows significant curtailment levels in Scottish wind farms like Seagreen (66%), Viking (60%), and Moray East (38%).
- Transmission capacity bottlenecks, particularly at the B4 and B6 boundaries, are key issues, with current upgrades delayed until 2029.
- Operational availability of transmission boundaries often falls below 50%, exacerbating curtailment problems.
- Hypothetical analysis suggests that even modest increases in transmission capacity could significantly reduce curtailment costs.
- Delays in infrastructure upgrades and ongoing maintenance work are major contributors to current high curtailment levels.