Wind Power Costs Challenge UK Energy Goals

The UK’s aging power grid is facing mounting challenges as wind power becomes a dominant force in the nation’s energy mix, with British consumers projected to shoulder over £1.8 billion ($2.3 billion) in grid management costs, up from £1.5 billion in 2024. These so-called constraint payments arise when grid limitations prevent wind energy from reaching demand centers, forcing operators to pay wind farms to shut down and fossil fuel plants closer to cities to ramp up. Scotland, home to some of Europe’s strongest winds,…