Great Britain’s energy system operator says it has significantly improved its monitoring of domestic electricity grids to “future proof” the country’s low-carbon power network.
After widespread power cuts across most of Spain and Portugal in April, the National Energy System Operator (Neso) started work to pinpoint dangerous fluctuations that could lead to outages.
The Iberian peninsula suffered a series of disturbances that caused power plants to disconnect from the network. An official report on the cause of the incident, in which system voltage collapsed to zero, is expected later this year.
Many households and businesses were left without electricity for almost two days, blocking access to internet and mobile networks and even disrupting the Madrid Open tennis tournament.
The blackout raised questions over Spain’s ability to manage a renewables-heavy power system that can be more difficult to keep in balance than a grid powered by thermal power plants.
In a report on the blackouts, published on Tuesday, Neso promised to increase its real-time monitoring of the network by using a new “mathematical methodology” to spot problems that could lead to a power cut.
Craig Dyke, the director of operations, said: “Even though Great Britain has one of the most reliable networks in the world – a record Neso, network operators and the whole energy industry work tirelessly to maintain – exploring every opportunity for learning and improvement is essential.
“Indeed, Neso would be guilty of complacency if we did not reflect on what happened in April, even though the GB network was unaffected.”
Neso, which is publicly owned, is understood to be working on protocols to ensure it can restore power after any nationwide blackout within five days. It expects to meet this government mandate by the end of next year.
Michael Shanks, the energy minister, said the report confirmed Britain’s energy grid was “secure and resilient, with strong safeguards in place to prevent these types of power cuts from happening here”.
He added: “We have a diverse and robust energy system and – alongside Neso – maintaining and strengthening it is our top priority and it is right that we have now examined any lessons.”
The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know.
If you have something to share on this subject, you can contact us confidentially using the following methods.
Secure Messaging in the Guardian app
The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said.
If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select ‘Secure Messaging’.
SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post
If you can safely use the Tor network without being observed or monitored, you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform.
Finally, our guide at theguardian.com/tips lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each.
