The UK is spending more than £250 million each month on electricity imports from Europe.
According to new analysis by Drax Electric Insights, during the second quarter of 2024, imports met a record 20% of the UK’s electricity demand.
Analysts note that this is more than double the power generated by the UK’s solar panels and nearly as much as the power provided by gas for the first time.
Electricity is imported through underwater cables known as interconnectors.
In the second quarter of 2024, the UK imported 12.2 TWh of electricity, while it exported only 3 TWh.
Dr Iain Staffell of Imperial College London, who leads the quarterly Drax Electric Insights report, said: “Fewer dispatchable generators means less competition and higher prices, making cheaper electricity from the continent much more attractive to import.
“The government must be mindful of the need to retain sufficient dispatchable generation capacity on our system for both energy security and affordability reasons as it works towards its ambition of having a clean power grid by 2030.
“Britain is always going to need weather-proof sources of power to keep the lights on.”
