Industry faces peak power shutdowns
17 Oct 2013
Industrial energy users may be asked to shut down production at times of peak power demand, according to a report commissioned by Prime Minister David Cameron.
The capacity margin of the UK electricity system could continue to fall over the next five years as old generating plants close, presenting an increasing risk of power cuts, according to the report by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
One key recommendation of the report, GB electricity capacity margin, is that in the short and medium term industrial users will be asked to adjust their production schedules to avoid heavy energy usage at times of peak electricity demand.
According to the government’s own statistics, processing accounts for 73% of UK industrial energy usage and is therefore likely to be hit the hardest by any shut down measures.
The report claims that “demand-side” response measures from commercial and industrial users could free up a potential 1GW of capacity in the short term.
Towards the end of the decade it says there is the potential for even bigger gains: “The medium term could also see a greater contribution from demand-side response from commercial and industrial users. The total potential contribution of demand-side response programmes in the US has been estimated at 9.2% of US national peak demand.”
