Lowe demands independent engineers' inquiry into June's grid 'near-blackout'

Rupert Lowe has called for an independent inquiry, led by engineers, into what he called the "near-blackout" on Great Britain's electricity grid on 23rd June.

In a post on X at 12:59 BST on Thursday 22nd October, the Restore Britain leader wrote: "In Parliament, I just demanded an independent inquiry, led by independent engineers, into the 'near-blackout' on June 23rd - those who are gambling with our country's electricity supply must be held accountable."

The post included a 97-second video filmed in a committee room. Mr Lowe sits on the Commons Public Accounts Committee, which held an evidence session on "Clean Power by 2030: Upgrading the grid" on Thursday morning, according to Parliament's committee records. No official transcript of the session has been published yet.

What happened on 23rd June

During a heatwave in the last week of June, the National Energy System Operator (NESO), which runs Great Britain's electricity system, used a series of emergency measures to keep supplies stable, according to the Guardian. It was the first time these tools had been used in summer.

The grid's frequency, which NESO aims to keep at about 50Hz, fell to a low of 49.66Hz on 23rd June. Energy Voice, citing research firm LCP Delta, reported that it was outside NESO's normal operating range of 49.8Hz to 50.2Hz for 48 minutes. It stayed above the statutory lower limit of 49.5Hz.

The Guardian reported that on 24th June NESO made an emergency call for an extra 500MW from the Netherlands, achieved by cutting Britain's exports, and made a similar call to France.

No customers lost power. NESO's chief operating officer, Kayte O'Neill, said control room engineers ensured "no customers were disconnected and the frequency always remained within statutory limits".

Whistleblower claims and the Eversheds review

In July, Claire Coutinho, then the shadow energy secretary, told the Commons that whistleblowers inside NESO had alleged senior managers ordered control room staff "to hide information that shows that the grid is not being run securely". NESO denied the claims.

NESO appointed the law firm Eversheds to investigate. Its findings, published on Monday 19th October, called the allegations "unsubstantiated" and found no evidence of record manipulation or concealment, according to Energy Voice. The review was overseen by a panel that included the chair of NESO's audit committee, an Ofgem director and a representative of UK Government Investments.

The review did find that NESO's processes for staff to raise concerns were "requiring improvement". NESO said there were "areas for cultural improvement" where it expected "significant action without delay".

Ofgem's inquiry

The energy regulator Ofgem is still inquiring into the events of June. In an update published on 19th October, it said it had "formally commissioned a team within NESO to review the events of the week". That team's final report is due to be shared with Ofgem in December.

Ofgem says it will then "form an independent Ofgem view" and publish conclusions, including on whether the system remained secure. Energy Voice reported that Ofgem plans to publish those conclusions by 31st January and lessons learned by 31st March.

Mr Lowe's call goes further: an inquiry led by independent engineers, rather than one built on a review carried out by NESO's own team.

The row comes ahead of the Budget on Wednesday 28th October, the date confirmed by the Chancellor, John Healey.

The main points

- Grid frequency: the electricity grid runs at about 50Hz. If supply falls short of demand, the frequency drops. NESO normally keeps it between 49.8Hz and 50.2Hz.

- Legal limits: the law allows it to move between 49.5Hz and 50.5Hz. According to Energy Voice, a fall to 48.8Hz would trigger automatic disconnections.

- 23rd June: the frequency fell to 49.66Hz, below the normal range but within the legal limit. No customers lost power.

- The allegations: whistleblowers alleged a cover-up. A review by Eversheds, appointed by NESO, found them "unsubstantiated".

- What's next: NESO's review team reports to Ofgem in December, and Ofgem plans to publish its conclusions by 31st January.

- Lowe's demand: an independent inquiry "led by independent engineers", and for those "gambling with our country's electricity supply" to be "held accountable".

Image: Chris Morgan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons