National Energy System Operator: Blackout Risk

Lord Spellar Excerpts

Monday 20th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

I disagree with the noble Baroness. The recent episode showed that, even in relatively new circumstances of extreme heat—rather than the more normal issue of energy margin certificates being issued because of the effect of cold and winter on the system—the system stood up to it very well and managed to make sure that customers were not deprived of their power. As I said, the system was maintained to run at between 49.5 hertz and 50.5 hertz at all times. That is a sign that the changing nature of the system will be able to deal with these issues very well in the future.

[Lord Spellar (Lab)]

My Lords, can the Minister address the concern that the NESO inquiry is being conducted by a firm of City lawyers rather than electrical engineers? That gives the impression that the allocation of blame and legal liability is seen as more important than the integrity of the system. Is not part of the current problem that the privatised companies save money by running a lower margin of capacity than the old Central Electricity Generating Board? That, along with the changing patterns of demand and supply, make the system less stable and more vulnerable. What is the Minister doing about it?

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

Many things are being done alongside the changing nature of the system to make sure that it retains its resilience and ability to supply power on a no-failure basis. These include continuing to build out the grid, and bringing forward ancillary services, new forms of artificial inertia, long-duration storage and many other new instruments that the system will have to make sure that it continues on a stable and reliable basis. On the whistleblowers, yes, the investigation team will be led by a law firm, but it will report to a review panel consisting of the chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, the shareholder non-executive director and the Ofgem director-general. That is entirely in line with making sure that whistleblowers’ interests within the energy delivery system are properly protected.