Report: Have nervous ministers overspent on energy security?

Madeleine Cuff
clock • 3 min read

New research reveals £180m Supplemental Balancing Reserve system was never called on during its three-year lifetime, sparking fears UK may have over-invested in energy security measures

Over the three years of its life, the £180m Supplemental Balancing Reserve (SPR), an energy security initiative which saw National Grid pay power stations to provide back-up power over the winter, was...

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

More on Infrastructure

REA launches industry coalition to boost clean power for UK data centres

REA launches industry coalition to boost clean power for UK data centres

Founding members of Data Centre Coalition include Apatura, Green Scale, Clarke Energy, and Enfinium

Michael Holder
clock 28 November 2025 • 3 min read
Vital Energi acquires mothballed Teesside waste-to-energy facility following £175m fundraise

Vital Energi acquires mothballed Teesside waste-to-energy facility following £175m fundraise

Company plans to convert biomass plant that has been dormant since 2019 into an operational plan capable of producing up to 30MW of low carbon electricity from waste

Stuart Stone
clock 20 November 2025 • 2 min read
'Default yes': Government to lower planning barriers for housing projects near train stations

'Default yes': Government to lower planning barriers for housing projects near train stations

Government announces new plan to fast track housing near commuter stations, including on Green Belt land

James Murray
clock 18 November 2025 • 3 min read