Darkness at noon as National Grid and E.ON dispute price

[phantom power]

A rescue plan to avert blackouts that hit 500,000 homes this week was undermined by demands of E.ON, the German energy group, that National Grid pay double the usual price for an emergency electricity boost, The Times has learnt.

National Grid’s decision not to use E.ON’s oil-fired plant on the Isle of Grain in Kent, which was available, followed a dramatic rise in wholesale energy prices and may have contributed to the disruption on Tuesday, industry sources say. National Grid is preparing a detailed report on the incident for Ofgem, the industry regulator, which has threatened to initiate a formal investigation.

Ofgem is expected to seek answers to a number of remaining questions about the shutdowns, which National Grid acknowledges represented the worst disruption to Britain’s power grid since 1987.

The Times understands that National Grid contacted E.ON about midday on Tuesday, soon after technical glitches led to the unplanned loss of two of Britain’s biggest power stations, Sizewell B in Suffolk and Longannet in Fife, resulting in a 1,510-megawatt shortfall in supply.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/utilities/article4029776.ece

[DCKit]

1. Lack of Regulation = Enron All Over

The industrialized world is being extorted by energy companies.

It's time to nationalize energy.

[Zachstar]

2. I agree with that only if we nationalize the right sources.

.gov in control of coal and oil plants is corruption waiting to happen period.

However once we get fusion or effective solar and wind I can see the gov taking that part over. There is little profit to be made anyway once fusion goes online in a big way simply because the big hurdle is getting them net positive and once that peak is passed the engineering and other aspects will QUICKLY fell the prices on them.