Chart of the week | Bootstrap Bill: Western Link HVDC & BSUoS

The Western Link HVDC, aka “Western Bootstrap”, a 2,200MW, £1bn transmission cable was built to help the UK manage the changing nature of energy production. It helps prevent transmission bottlenecks and increases flows into England and Wales by accommodating the increasingly high volume of power generated in Scotland from wind.

Avoiding transmission constraints not only allows greater volumes of renewable power to flow onto the Grid but also reduces the amount of money that National Grid has to pay to turn off windfarms in Scotland. This keeps the transmission system stable. In this Chart of the Week, we look at the relationship between BSUoS charges and activity on the Western Bootstrap.

Lee Drummee

Lee Drummee

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