The UK is on course to import a record amount of electricity this year, with the amount of power needed from abroad enough to keep the lights on in around 10 million homes.
Analysis carried out by the trade association representing the nuclear power industry, using data from the National Grid, found that net electricity imports accounted for 15% of power in Britain in the first quarter.
The Nuclear Industry Association, which represents 250 firms across the supply chain, said that imports represented almost a fifth of UK supply in June.
That left annual power imports on course to beat the previous record by almost 50% in 2024.
Imports at that level –nearly 36 Terawatt-hours (TWh) in the standard industry measurement – would be more than the planned output Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset, the NIA pointed out,
Its analysis came as another sign of the country’s dependence on power from abroad, with the NIA pointing to concerns over “energy security”.
The National Grid uses a series of international interconnectors to bring in power, including from France, which generates around 70% of its electricity from nuclear power.
There is also a £1.7 billion, 475-mile link to Norway, which is the longest under-sea interconnector in the world. It went live in December 2023.
The NIA’s chief executive, Tom Greatrex, argued that there has been “underinvestment” in the nuclear industry in the UK.
“Other countries get the jobs, and we get the bill because we have not invested enough in our own nuclear power and other sovereign power source,” he said leaving neighbouring countries “making money off our mistakes”.
He added: “The next government’s drive to net zero means we must start turning that around by approving a raft of new nuclear power stations alongside major renewable investment.”
