Britain hit by unusual power activity hours before Spain blackout
Britain's electricity grid operator is investigating unexplained power plant failures that hit the UK's system hours before Spain and Portugal were plunged into blackouts.
Control room staff at the National Energy System Operator (Neso) observed unusual activity on Sunday that saw the power frequency shift unexpectedly in the early morning and the evening.
Keeping the frequency of the electricity system within certain limits is vital to keeping the lights on.
The first event began at around 2am with an outage at the Keadby 2 gas-fired power plant in Lincolnshire, followed by the unexplained failure of the Viking Link interconnector between the UK and Denmark.
At around 6pm, the frequency shifted unexpectedly again – with the cause currently unknown.
Neso, the quango that manages the British grid, confirmed to The Telegraph on Tuesday morning that officials were investigating.
A spokesman did not provide further details but said there was currently no suggestion that the outages were linked to each other or the massive system failures that occurred on Monday throughout Spain, Portugal and parts of southern France.
Such investigations are standard practice whenever there is an unexplained outage on the grid.
But it comes as grid stability is being closely scrutinised across Europe, with Spain and Portugal currently in the process of painstakingly re-activating their grids following the unprecedented loss of power nationwide.
Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain, refused to speculate on the suspected cause in a press conference late on Monday.
An earlier suggestion by Portuguese officials that the blackouts may have been triggered by a freak weather event have since been downplayed, leaving the events that led to Europe's worst electricity failure in decades shrouded in mystery.
Meanwhile, Jordi Sevilla, the former president of Spain's national grid operator, Red Eléctrica, suggested on Tuesday that the loss of power was indirectly caused by Spain's heavy reliance on solar and wind farms.
In an editorial for financial newspaper Cinco Días, Mr Sevilla said the rising dependence on renewables that did not generate so-called inertia, which helped to stabilise the frequency of electricity systems, created 'obvious' problems that had been ignored by politicians.
'Our electricity grid requires investment to adapt to the technical reality of the new generation mix,' he said, according to translated text.
The unexpected outages in Britain on Sunday were of a much smaller magnitude but have still spooked officials.
Market transparency data show Keadby 2 was scheduled to come online on Sunday morning to help meet high power demand in the morning, but it is understood it tripped at around 2am.
The Viking interconnector was expected to provide power to the grid but also suffered a sudden fault just after this.
According to market data published by Elexon, the cable was providing 236 megawatts of power to the British grid at 2am before the output suddenly fell to zero and remained at that level until about 11am.
This is unusual because the cable will usually follow power prices – unless the Neso intervenes – meaning it tends to be either exporting or importing at least some power most of the time.
It is understood that the problem may have been caused by a fault on the Danish side.
Officials are also investigating the unexpected frequency change at 6pm, but it is understood that no specific outages have been linked to that currently.
On Tuesday, a Neso spokesman said: 'As a prudent system operator we review all generator trips and events on our network as standard practice.
'We are still reviewing operational events across the weekend. However, it is highly unlikely that these events are connected to each other or related to the events on the European electricity network on Monday.
'Great Britain's electricity network was not affected by the power system incident on the European electricity network on Monday.
'We are working closely with our counterparts across Europe to understand the cause of today's power system incident and to offer our support. It is too early to comment further on today's events and whilst investigations are still ongoing.'
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
When and where Saharan dust storm and 'blood rain' could hit the UK this week
The UK's topsy-turvy weather is set to continue this week, with forecasters hinting at the possibility of 'blood rain' heading to UK shores. A brief blast of heat is expected for much of the country later in the coming days - only to quickly be replaced by torrential rain. And, what's more, it is predicted the downpours will bring with it some Saharan dust. Here, Yahoo News UK looks at exactly what Saharan dust is and what it could mean for the coming days. It's a mixture of sand, detritus and dust from the Sahara Desert that have been blown thousands of miles by strong winds in the upper part of the atmosphere as far north as British shores. However, for it to end up on the ground, it needs to be carried there by a meteorological vehicle, such as rain. According to the Met Office, Britain's official forecaster: "As raindrops fall, they collect particles of dust on the way down. Then when the raindrops land on something and eventually evaporate, they leave behind a layer of dust." This is sometimes referred to as 'blood rain'. According to Met Office forecasters, there are currently "hints of a little bit of Saharan dust in the atmosphere on Thursday and perhaps Friday". Thunderstorms forecast for later in the week will "potentially wash any sand out of the atmosphere". Heavy rain is currently expected to start in Northern Ireland, western Wales and south west England on Wednesday night, before moving north and east over Thursday. This is then predicted to be followed by a second band of rain following the same pattern over Friday and Saturday. However, downpours are also expected to be preceded by high temperatures, reaching almost 30C in parts of southern and central England. Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Mike Silverstone, said: 'After largely benign weather early in the week, some intense, thundery showers will move in on Wednesday evening. "These thunderstorms are being triggered by some warm, humid air that is moving into the UK from the south. The intense rainfall could see 20-40mm accumulating over just a few hours, which could cause some disruption. "While there are no severe weather warnings issued at the moment, it is possible thunderstorm warnings may be issued this week.' The most obvious impact most will see from 'blood rain' is a reddish residue left on cars, pavements and garden furniture. In 2022, Saharan dust left a red tinge to snow at ski resorts in the French Pyrenees, while staff at Legoland in Germany had to deploy jet washers to hose down attractions before visitors arrived. BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood advised the public to keep an eye out for "impressive sunrise/sets" as a result of the phenomenon. As the southerly flow develops this week, there will be some Saharan dust pushing widely across the UK from later on Wednesday to Friday. You may notice this on your car! And where there are clear skies there is also the chance of some impressive sunrise/sets.@BBCBreakfast xx — Carol Kirkwood (@carolkirkwood) June 9, 2025 However, it can also have more serious consequences, particularly for people with respiratory conditions, such as asthma, COPD or bronchitis. 'If there's a lot of air pollution in the air [and] if you have a pre-existing lung condition, those fine particles can get into your airway and irritate airways that may already be inflamed," said Karen Spillett, deputy head of health advice at Asthma and Lung UK. "If you're out and about and you have a reliever inhaler, make sure you've got that reliever inhaler with you.' She added: 'If you do start to get symptoms — that might be coughing, wheezing, tightness across your chest, feeling a bit more breathless — you can take that reliever inhaler and that can hopefully help with your symptoms.' One of the last widespread instances of Saharan dust affecting Europe was in March 2022, when parts of Germany, Spain and France all found themselves blanketed with a layer of red debris. But it has also struck more recently, such as last month, when the phenomenon left a brown haze hanging over Athens, the Greek capital. And last year, dust clouds over Italy saw temperatures in June approach 40C. Closer to the dust's starting point, in Africa, a dust storm in Senegalese capital Dakar shortly before Christmas reduced visibility to less than 500 metres.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Weekend weather update from FOX Weather: 65 million under severe weather threat Saturday
Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It's June 7, 2025. Start your day with everything you need to know about today's weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast. The weekend is kicking off much like the work week has ended across much of the nation's heartland: with weather maps and radars dotted with clusters of strong thunderstorms and severe weather alerts. Saturday's severe weather threat covers around 65 million people across the southern Plains, Deep South and into the Southeast. Primary dangers include wind gusts of 60+ mph and very large to giant hail, but a few tornadoes are possible. A lightning strike hit a house in Southern California Tuesday, startling a mom and her two children who were standing just feet away. Tiffanie Buckner was recording the lightning as storms were rolling in, as she and her children were about to go inside, she told Storyful. Her 6-year-old daughter, Penelope, was standing in front of the camera the moment a large lightning bolt hit a home in the cul-de-sac behind her. A busy start to the hurricane season in the eastern Pacific Ocean got even busier Saturday morning as the National Hurricane Center has now added a third area to watch for possible tropical development. But in the short term, two clusters of thunderstorms are on the cusp of becoming the basin's next named storms, but which area of disturbed weather will take the name Barbara remains somewhat of an open question. Both thunderstorm clusters were designated as invests on Friday as they parallel or slowly drift away from the Mexican coastline. Here are a few more stories you might find interesting. Invasive species posing 'extreme threat' found near popular summer vacation spot With record-breaking snowmelt, is the western US at risk for wildfires like those in Canada? Rescue dog missing 36 days found swimming in waters off British island Need more weather? Check your local forecast plus 3D radar in the FOX Weather app. You can also watch FOX Weather wherever you go using the FOX Weather app, at or on your favorite streaming service. It's easy to share your weather photos and videos with us. Email them to weather@ or add the hashtag #FOXWeather to your post on your favorite social media article source: Weekend weather update from FOX Weather: 65 million under severe weather threat Saturday
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Boston Globe
The man whose D-Day weather forecast saved the world
On June 6, 1944, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered more than 150,000 Allied troops to storm the beaches of Normandy in one of the largest seaborne invasions in history. But hours before, Eisenhower's eyes were fixed not on the battlefield, but on the skies. More precisely, on the weather report laid out before him. And the meteorologist who had created it, described by his son as 'a dour irascible Scot,' had to get it right. 'The weather forecast was a go or no-go,' said Catherine Ross, a library and archive manager at the Met Office, the weather service for the United Kingdom. 'Everything else was ready.' Advertisement Success demanded a very specific set of conditions: ▪ Before the landings, the weather needed to be calm for 48 hours. ▪ For the three days following, the wind needed to stay below Beaufort Force 4, equivalent to a moderate breeze. ▪ Parachutists and other air support needed less than 30 percent cloud cover below 8,000 feet, with a cloud base no lower than 2,500 feet and visibility of over 3 miles. Advertisement ▪ A low tide at dawn was needed to expose German defenses. ▪ The invasion had to occur one day before or four days after a full moon for nighttime operations. ▪ Furthermore, the invasion had to align with the Soviet summer offensive in the East, to maximize pressure on German forces. The Allies identified a window: between June 5 and June 7. The odds were daunting. According to Ross, the likelihood of all the desired weather conditions aligning was 13-to-1— and roughly triple that once the full moon was added to the equation. Making matters worse, the beginning of June brought a spell of highly unsettled weather. 'There was a succession of low pressures and fronts coming across the Channel, and the challenge was trying to find a gap,' she said. 'Not just to allow them to invade, but to be able to get enough backup troops and supplies across.' The fifth 'was the ideal day,' Eisenhower recalled in an interview 20 years later. But the date was subject to last-minute revision in the event of bad weather. The man tasked with delivering that all-important forecast was Stagg, the chief meteorological adviser to Eisenhower from the British Meteorological Office. He was responsible for producing a unified forecast based on input from three independent groups, two British and one American. With today's advanced forecasting, and the help of supercomputers, satellites, and a range of sophisticated models, meteorologists can produce fairly accurate predictions several days in advance. But there was no unified approach to forecasting in 1944. The American team, part of the newly formed US Strategic Air Forces based near Eisenhower's headquarters in southwest London, employed analog forecasting, a method that compared current conditions to historical weather patterns. The British teams relied on hand-drawn charts, observational data and, newer understandings of upper-atmosphere patterns. These approaches often clashed. Advertisement 'At the time, it was very much an evolving science that evolved in different ways in different countries,' said Dan Suri, a meteorologist at the Met Office. Suri said that some of these methods remain in use today, albeit digitally. 'Aspects of what they did still feature, and the D-Day forecasters would recognize aspects of what they did in what we do today,' he said. James Stagg's job was not just scientific, but diplomatic — a delicate act of balancing contrasting forecasts from the American and British teams, and shaping them into a coherent narrative with a single decisive recommendation for Eisenhower. 'That wasn't always entirely possible,' Suri said. 'He had quite a difficult job, really.' Ahead of the invasion, tensions rose between the forecasting teams. Transcripts from the daily telephone discussions among Stagg, the general, and the three forecasting teams revealed a strong difference of opinions among the groups. The American meteorologists believed that June 5 or 6 would offer suitable weather. The British, however, opposed June 5. 'He had to make the decision of which side he was going to go with,' Ross said, 'and take that to Eisenhower.' According to professor Julian Hunt in his book 'D-Day: The Role of the Met Office,' a high-pressure system over the Atlantic Ocean and a strong storm near northern Scotland were expected to cause rough seas and excessive cloud cover in the English Channel on June 5. James Stagg delivered his decision: Gales would sweep through Normandy, making landings impossible. 'He gave us the worst report you ever saw,' Eisenhower later recalled. Convoys that had already set off were ordered to turn back. Advertisement But by June 4, forecasts indicated that the storm system would shift northeast, giving way to a brief period of calmer conditions June 6. Still, Stagg was uncertain. His diary reveals his doubt: 'I am now getting rather stunned— it is all a nightmare.' Ross said the decision to go ahead was a compromise. 'It was a question of, will the sixth be good enough? And the call was, yes, it will be good enough. But it was a challenge.' Eventually, the American and British meteorologists moved toward consensus for June 6. On the evening of June 4, Stagg returned with the more optimistic forecast. Eisenhower later described a 'little grin on his face.' 'We hoped that with this break, we could do it,' Eisenhower later said. After a brief moment of contemplation—'about 45 seconds,' he recalled— he gave the order that would change the course of history: 'OK, we'll go.' The invasion went ahead June 6, 1944, but the forecast turned out to be off the mark. Suri said that, instead of moving northeast, the storm over northern Scotland shifted southward into the North Sea, weakening as it did. This unexpected change allowed winds to ease slightly, and visibility improved as the front over northern France moved away. 'That's why things got better,' Suri said. 'So they were right for the wrong reasons.' But conditions were windy, and the seas remained rough. Many of the first troops to cross the English Channel had 'considerable seasickness,' The Associated Press wrote, and the strong winds whipped up whitecaps, making the journey to the beaches even more punishing. Advertisement The marginal weather may have given the Allies a vital edge. In the aftermath of the invasion, as the weight of its success came into focus, the full significance of the meteorological gamble became clear. In a memorandum accompanying an official report to Eisenhower, Stagg reflected on just how close they had come to disaster. Had the invasion been postponed to the next suitable tides, the troops would have faced the Channel's worst storm in 20 years. 'Thanks,' Eisenhower wrote in response. 'And thank the Gods of war we went when we did.' This article originally appeared in
