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New alert issued to power firms as UK swelters in red weather warning heatwave

Power station owners told to prepare for a possible surge in demand as Brits try to keep cool

[Soaring temperatures have been many people use electric fans to try to keep cool]

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Soaring temperatures have been many people use electric fans to try to keep cool(Image: Getty)

The body overseeing Britains energy network has issued a plea to power firms as the country swelters in a heatwave.

A rare red warning for extreme heat has come into force in parts of England and Wales and will last until 9pm on Thursday.

Temperatures are forecast to rise to around 37C or 38C in southern England, and a maximum of 39C is not out of the question.

The rocketing temperatures have prompted many people to rush out to buy fans or air conditioning units, or dust off those they have, in a bid to try and stay cool. Offices and other workplaces have done the same. It has mean a surge in demand for electricity.

The situation has been made more pressing by tropical like temperatures overnight which has seen meny people struggle to get a good nights sleep, even if they had the fan or air conditioning blasting out.

[Woman is sleeping in bed while electric fan is blowing on the foreground]

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Many people have had the fan on at night to try to sleep - meaning extra demand for power (Image: invizbk via Getty Images)

In response, the National Energy System Operator issued what it calls an Electricity Margin Notice on Tuesday and covers a period from 7pm and 10pm on Thursday. It is first this summer. The last one was issued in January 2025.

The move means owners of power stations and other forms of generation have been asked to boost supplies, if needed, for the network to prevent the risk of power cuts or worse.

[Power stations have been put on alert that they may need to ramp-up output to meet demand ]

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Power stations have been put on alert that they may need to ramp-up output to meet demand (Image: Getty Images)

NESO insists doing so is routine but it is essentially warning that the UKs demand for power risks being close to exceeding supply.

The alert has been made more pressing by sky high temperatures across other parts of Europe, impacting the UKs ability to import electricity, and by the lack of breezy conditions hitting the output from wind farms.

The heatwave has triggered a rare red health warning as schools close and trains are delayed or cancelled. Classrooms have become so hot that dozens of schools, mainly primaries, in Bristol, Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire cut their hours or shut.

[Extreme weather is forecasts for large parts of the UK ]

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Extreme weather is forecasts for large parts of the UK (Image: Getty Images)

A NESO spokesperson: Our forecasts are showing tight margins on the electricity system for tomorrow evening. This is due to the impact of extremely high temperatures affecting Great Britain and the continent and low wind.

An Electricity Margin Notice (EMN) has been issued to the market. This is a routine tool, and means we are asking market participants to make any additional generation capacity they may have available. The EMN does not mean electricity supply is at risk, they insisted.

NESO issued the same such alert in early January last year, but that time due to plummeting temperatures. Cold weather was expected to spark increased electricity consumption as more people stayed indoors, watched television and used their gas or electric heating.

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