No deal Brexit could trigger electricity shock for Northern Ireland

EU Flag

LONDON -

Such a scenario could see thousands of electricity generators being requisitioned at short notice and positioned on barges in the Irish Sea to help keep the region going, a Whitehall document quoted by the Financial Times states.

An emergency operation could see equipment being brought back from places like Afghanistan, where the UK still has a military presence, the newspaper said.

The extreme situation could arise because Northern Ireland shares a single energy market with the Irish Republic.

The region relies on energy imports from the Republic because it does not have enough generating capacity itself, and the UK is aiming to negotiate a deal to allow that single electricity market on the island of Ireland to continue post-EU withdrawal, the FT stated.

However, if no Brexit deal is agreed Whitehall fears suppliers in the Irish Republic could cut off power because the UK would no longer be part of the European electricity market.

In a bid to prevent blackouts in Northern Ireland in a worse case situation the Government would need to put thousands of generators into place, according to the report.

And officials fear they may need to commandeer some generators from the military in such a scenario, the FT reports.

An official was quoted by the newspaper as saying the preparations were “gob-smacking”.

Related News

berlin pv industry

Berlin urged to remove barriers to PV

BERLIN - The German Solar Association (BSW) has called on the government to remove barriers to the development of new solar and storage capacity needed to replace coal and nuclear generation that is being phased out.

A 52GW cap should be scrapped, otherwise there is a risk that a market slump will occur in the solar industry after 2020, BSW said.

BSW managing director Carsten Körnig said: “Time is running out, and further delays are irresponsible. The 52GW mark will already be reached within a few months.”
A new report from BSW, in cooperation with Bonn-based marketing and social research company EuPD…

READ MORE
russian-strikes-on-western-ukraine-cause-power-outages

Russian Strikes on Western Ukraine Cause Power Outages

READ MORE

Greta Thunberg

Opinion: Germany's drive for renewable energy is a cautionary tale

READ MORE

bc electricity demand

BC Hydro Expects To See Electricity Usage Rise This Holiday Season

READ MORE

alberta power lines

Ottawa making electricity more expensive for Albertans

READ MORE