UK wind constraint costs hit £1 billion as grid bottlenecks widen
Curtailment payments to wind operators have crossed the £1 billion mark, underscoring the grid infrastructure gap behind the UK's buildout.
By Matthias Blank · drafted with the Vantage newsroom system, approved before publication
UK wind constraint costs have hit £1 billion, according to Energy Live News, as grid infrastructure fails to keep pace with installed capacity. The figure reflects payments made to operators to curtail generation at times when transmission bottlenecks prevent power from reaching demand centres. That cost is borne by consumers through network charges.
The grid constraint problem is sharpest in Scotland, where the bulk of onshore wind capacity sits behind congested interconnectors to the south. Curtailment volumes have grown alongside the buildout, and no near-term transmission fix is fully in service.
Against that backdrop, the onshore wind sector used the Onshore Wind 2026 event to call for clearer policy signals on repowering consents and investment frameworks, per Renews.biz. Developers argue that without route-to-market certainty, capital allocation for the next generation of projects stalls even as the existing fleet ages.
Source: Energy Live News
Photo by Hữu Nhựt Trần on Pexels.
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