Energy: Coronavirus

(asked on 21st April 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has been made of the performance of the energy system in meeting changes in demand due to the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Kwasi Kwarteng Portrait
Kwasi Kwarteng
This question was answered on 28th April 2020

Great Britain has a reliable energy system and maintaining a safe and secure energy supply is a key priority for this Government.

Since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, we have been in daily contact with gas and electricity operators, the National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO), National Grid Gas (NGG), and Ofgem, to ensure our energy system is able to respond to changes in demand during this unprecedented time.

The ESO and NGG have procedures in place to manage the effects of a pandemic and are closely monitoring electricity and gas demand over this period. Currently, electricity and gas margins are adequate and there is sufficient supply to meet demand.

The implementation of the Government policies to delay the spread of Covid-19 is resulting in a measurable reduction in the national demand for energy. The ESO recently published its Summer Outlook report to help energy companies with their planning, as well as set out the procedures it has in place to manage the anticipated effects on supply and demand during the pandemic.

We are confident that electricity and gas supplies will keep flowing.

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