Two energy generation plants owned by RWE in the UK have been used to ensure secure energy supply following a network failure which would have caused grid instability for 16 days.
UK Power Networks (UKPN) sought assistance from RWE’s 60MW Scroby Sands wind farm and 420MW Great Yarmouth combined cycle gas turbine power stations after the energy distributor identified congestion within the transmission network.
The congestion was a result of upgrades and maintenance works UKPN was carrying out on the network.
The combined energy generation and supply by the two plants avoided a significant financial impact that would have resulted from the congestion.
Great Yarmouth Power Station had surplus network capacity due to changes in UK market conditions driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and as such was able to back the Scroby Sands.
Phillip Croston-Clegg, Scroby Sands Wind Farm plant manager, said: “I would like to thank everyone involved in this successful collaboration across our RWE businesses. This clearly demonstrates the role all our generation technologies have in securing energy supplies.”
RWE is the second-largest generator of power in the UK, with a diverse portfolio of onshore wind, offshore wind, hydro, the largest and most efficient fleet of combined cycle gas plants in the UK and a biomass plant; with an ambition to be carbon neutral by 2040.
