Britain will have enough electricity this winter, grid operator says

By Susanna Twidale

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - Britain will have enough electricity supply this winter despite disruptions to energy flows caused by the Iran war, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) said on Tuesday in an early report on the supply and demand balance for the season.

Peace talks are ongoing between the United States and Iran, seeking to end a conflict that has disrupted energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically accounted for about a fifth of global liquefied natural gas supplies.

“While we will continue to monitor global energy markets, households and businesses can be confident that electricity supplies remain secure,” Deborah Petterson, NESO's director of whole energy system resilience, said in a statement.

Britain relies on gas for roughly 30% of its electricity, but only about 1% of the country’s gas supply comes from Qatar, which typically ships its gas through the strait.

Britain is expected to be a net importer of electricity over the winter period, with domestic electricity prices likely to remain higher than those in Europe.

NESO expects a de-rated margin, which is a measure of the amount of excess capacity expected above peak electricity demand, at 5.5 gigawatts (GW), in line with recent winters and equivalent to 8.8% of forecast peak demand during an average cold spell.

(Reporting by Susanna TwidaleEditing by David Goodman)