Resilience of the National Electricity Network - Third Report of Session 2003-04 Vol. 1

HCP 69-I, Report, together with formal minutes and annex

Author:

Great Britain Parliament House of Commons Trade and Industry Committee

Publisher:

TSO (The Stationery Office)

Price: £13.50

Following a series of power cuts in the UK and elsewhere in August and September 2003, concerns have been raised about the resilience of the UK electricity network.

The Committee's inquiry concludes that, although major power failures like those experienced in North America and Italy are unlikely to happen here, there is a need for greater investment in the network, in order to replace ageing equipment in a planned and orderly manner and to ensure availability of the required level of highly skilled staff to maintain and reconstruct the network.

The report also notes that extra investment will be required to ensure the network is ready for anticipated changes to electricity generation in the next two decades, the closure of large nuclear plants and the growth in renewable energy programme. Although these developments will require significantly increased levels of investment, they should not result in steep price rises for customers as network costs form a smaller proportion of customer bills than the cost of generating electricity.

Although network performance is generally good, particularly by the transmission companies, the Regulator's concern to keep consumer costs low should now be tempered by a greater emphasis on ensuring electricity network owners have sufficient financial resources to secure a viable long-term electricity supply.

Extent	59 pages	ISBN	9780215015860
Size	A4	Price	£13.50
Format	Paperback	Published	10 Mar 2004
Availability	Colour copy: 3 - 5 days	Delivery	Delivery options and charges