The UK's electricity grid received a fifth of its power from continental Europe at 10am on Thursday, 13 August 2026. This occurred on a low-wind day during a summer that has seen multiple heatwaves.
Cables connecting to France alone supplied 11% of British demand, amounting to 3.54 gigawatts. This output was more than double that of the UK's entire fleet of windfarms at the same time.
The National Energy System Operator (Neso), the state-owned body responsible for the grid, has previously taken steps to manage supply. Neso cut off exports to the Netherlands on 23 June and, in July, ordered wholesale market traders not to export power via four interconnectors during several hours.
Phil Hewitt, director at energy market specialist Montel, noted that Neso's real-time redispatching of interconnectors can cause issues for smaller markets like Belgium and the Netherlands. Changes were made in May to limit late alterations in direction on six links with Belgium, Denmark, France, and the Netherlands to no more than 300 megawatts per cable.
Peter Atherton, an independent energy analyst, suggested the UK could be perceived as a weak link in the European system. Concerns about energy nationalism are rising, with Norway having banned more interconnectors after consumer backlash over higher domestic electricity prices, and a planned 1.4 gigawatt cable to Peterhead, Scotland, was scrapped by Oslo in 2023.