Npower to sell power to the Grid
Energy company Npower plans to step in to support the National Grid during times of high energy demand by using its customers to help power the network.
Around 50 industrial sites in the UK are already paid by the Grid to offer their stand-by generators for national use when the network is stressed, most recently during the snow in December, which led to record energy usage and put a strain on services.
But Npower hopes to pay customers who have back-up generators to add up to 600 megawatts to the network, the equivalent of a medium-sized power station.
“The National Grid is hoping to supply more energy from renewable sources like wind, which is unpredictable, especially in periods of high demand. The nature of the grid, especially as overall demand increases, makes it important for companies like us to step in,” Npower industrial and commercial market director David Cockshott told City A.M.
The National Grid declined to comment yesterday.