In what is considered the UK’s largest investment energy network since the 1960s, National Grid’s plan aims to make it easier to expand into and use the UK’s offshore wind energy. The upgrades could help alleviate the global fossil fuel crisis, which is currently affecting millions of families in the form of dazzling energy bills† The sky-high price of wholesale gas has finally caught up with household bills, which will be nearly £3,000 by October, leaving millions in fuel poverty.
As a result, the UK is trying to end this crisis by massively scaling up the capacity of domestic low-carbon energy in the form of offshore wind, nuclear and even North Sea gas.
The government has announced its ambition to have 50GW. to generate from electricity from offshore wind farms by 2030, more than the 10 GW they currently produce.
Meanwhile, National Grid’s new upgrade plan would provide capacity for an additional 23 GW, covering nearly two-thirds of the current peak demand for electricity at full capacity.
This overhaul of the UK’s energy system, which will become one of the largest civil infrastructure programs ever in the UK, marks the first time that offshore link development for wind farms has been coordinated.
The National Grid wants to add 15 new connection points that will bring energy from 18 offshore wind farms to land.
The lack of infrastructure connecting the wind farms to energy-hungry city centers like London is a major problem, costing the UK around £1 billion a year, experts have told express.co.uk†
Most of the most powerful offshore wind farms are located far away from major cities such as London, where demand for electricity is high.
This means that without interconnectors connecting the wind farms across the country, much of this power will not be fully utilized.
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