National Grid has decided it will not run its new Demand Flexibility Service, which would see households paid to reduce their electricity usage, on Tuesday. The scheme, which has been tested twice this month but is yet to have its first live run, is aimed at reducing the risk of blackouts this winter.
National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) had said earlier on Monday that it was considering activating the scheme for the first time this week but has now confirmed it will not.
The scheme launched at the start of November and is set up so that households and businesses taking part will be paid to reduce the amount of electricity that they use over a set period of time. This can help take strain off the system when supply is tight.
READ MORE: Dog owner's warning after puppy nearly dies from highly infections parvovirus
Concerns around energy supply came after forecasts projected a large drop in the amount of power that Britain will be able to import from France, where problems with nuclear power plants have been ongoing for months. More than half of the nuclear reactors run by state energy company EDF have had to close due to maintenance problems and technical issues.
The Demand Flexibility Service has been tested twice since it was launched a month ago. During both tests businesses and households banded together to reduce demand by a small but significant amount.
The scheme is administered by energy suppliers. Households have to register their interest in taking part in advance and they will then get a text or other message saying that the programme will run later in the day.
So far Octopus Energy is by far the most active energy supplier in the scheme. It released data showing that its customers had helped reduce demand by more than 100 megawatts during both tests. That is the same amount of electricity that a small power plant produces.
It comes as the ESO issued and then rapidly cancelled a Capacity Market Notice on Monday. The notice, which was issued at around 1.30pm, warned that the difference between the amount of electricity available and the supply of electricity would be smaller than hoped for on Monday evening. The notice was cancelled again at 2.04pm.
The alerts are sent out automatically when expected margins drop below a certain level. They do not mean that blackouts are likely. All 12 capacity market notices that the grid has put out have been cancelled without issue in the last six years.
The notices have become more common this year as Europe goes through an energy crisis. The most recent notice was sent out last week.
READ NEXT:
- 13 tips to help you save money on your energy bills this winter
- Hundreds of thousands of Brits to receive free home insulation under government scheme
- Teenager suffers devastating burns after hot water bottle splits open
- Tesco boss sends message to government over cost of living support
- Martin Lewis explains why price cap rise is 'mostly irrelevant' for customers
