Great Britain's grid operator has brought in independent investigators to examine accusations that its staff were involved in a cover-up regarding the power system being at a greater risk of blackouts during the June heatwave.
Whistleblower allegations
The government-owned National Energy System Operator (Neso) will face scrutiny from an external legal firm after a whistleblower claimed that control room staff were warned against leaving a paper trail relating to efforts to stabilise the power system during record high temperatures in late June.
The accusations, raised in parliament last week by Conservative shadow minister Claire Coutinho, include claims that senior Neso bosses were “risking blackouts to protect Neso’s reputation”. Coutinho stated: “These whistleblowers are coming to me because they are worried that the grid is becoming increasingly unmanageable and they do not have faith that their concerns are being taken seriously internally.”
Grid frequency concerns
Industry data shows that power grid frequency fell below operational limits as the high-pressure heat dome curbed renewable energy generation and triggered unplanned outages at gas plants, while demand for electricity to run air-conditioning systems surged. The grid’s frequency slumped to below Neso’s operational limits of between 49.8Hz and 50.2Hz for most of the period between 17:30 and 18:30 on 23 June. The lowest recorded frequency was 49.66Hz, still above the statutory lower limit of 49.5Hz required by government regulations.
The whistleblower alleged that during this period, senior bosses ordered control room staff to ensure there was no audit trail or records of key decisions made relating to managing fluctuations in the electricity system. In a letter to the UK’s data watchdog, Coutinho said that a whistleblower had alleged that staff were told not to keep permanent records of their decisions and that Neso’s corporate affairs team attempted to pressure operators to make decisions to protect the organisation’s reputation. “If true, this is nothing short of a scandal,” Coutinho told parliament.
Neso response
Neso said in a statement on Monday that despite the unprecedented conditions, the grid had operated securely and the frequency and voltage of the power system had remained within statutory limits. The system operator was forced to raise the alarm over electricity supplies twice in the last week of June due to the heatwave’s impact. It is estimated to have paid out millions for a few hours of emergency electricity generated by gas power plants, a leading cause of atmospheric carbon emissions accelerating global heating.
Craig Dyke, a director at Neso, said a “full deep dive” into the system operations would be undertaken. “Neso has commissioned an independent investigation into recent allegations around decision-making and record-keeping,” he added. Both reports will be published, according to the system operator.
