New data from NESO has shown that 2026 Scottish grid constraints reached a record £1.39 billion by the end of September.
The September Scottish constraint costs accounted for 61.9% of Great Britain’s total balancing costs, which occur when the electricity network cannot transport power from where it is generated to where it is needed.
When transmission capacity is insufficient, NESO must pay generators to reduce output in areas where the network is congested. These payments contribute to UK balancing costs – which are ultimately paid for by consumers.
Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: “The cost of managing Scotland’s electricity grid is spiralling out of control, and consumers are paying the price. To stop piling costs onto people’s bills, we have to rebalance Scotland’s grid with a reliable baseload of low-carbon nuclear power alongside the country’s renewables.
“By reducing our reliance on expensive backup generation or paying for surplus electricity we can’t use, we can better control costs for consumers and businesses and get Scotland the jobs and investment it needs.”
As much as £65 billion of transmission investment has been projected between now and 2031, over £30 billion of which is projected to be in Scotland.
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