Britain is preparing to import more electricity from the European Unions power grids amid concerns over anticyclonic gloom hitting wind farms in recent weeks.
Plans for the National Grids LionLink and Nautilus interconnector cables to connect the UK to wind farms in the Netherlands and Belgium have now been approved.
The regular Ofgem gave its backing despite concerns over huge substations and cabling systems where the interconnectors come ashore, reported the Telegraph.
The new underwater connections will sit alongside other interconnectors giving the UK access to nuclear power from France and hydroelectric stations in Norway.
It comes amid a long recent spell of gloomy weather for the UK with little wind, rain or sunshine, which has seen renewable power generation fall significantly.
Wind turbines in front of the lignite-fired power station operated by RWE in Neurath, Germany
Plans for the National Grids LionLink and Nautilus interconnector cables to connect the UK to wind farms in the Netherlands and Belgium have now been approved by the regulator Ofgem
A National Grid energy interconnector, which runs under the English Channel (file picture)
The amount of wind and solar energy generated has plunged in the past two weeks due to high pressure weather systems in a phenomenon called anticyclonic gloom or Dunkelflaute in German, which roughly translates as darkness and weak wind.
Data from Elexon, which runs Britains wholesale electricity market, showed that three weeks ago, on October 20, wind was producing 60.8 per cent of Britains power – 19.2 gigawatts (GW) – during the 8am to 9am rush.
That tumbled to just three per cent (1.1GW) during the same time slot on Tuesday last week.
And wind generated just 2.8 per cent of Britains power (1GW) that day between 10am and 11am – its poorest performance of the year.
Solar power production was also down over last week, barely managing to supply 3 per cent of the nations energy.
On average, wind has supplied nearly a third of the UKs power over the past year, while solar produces around 5 per cent.
The National Energy System Operator (NESO), formerly known as the National Grid, said the lull was nothing to panic about, because it has the largest pre-winter surplus of power for five years.
This is due to a growth in battery storage capacity and a better network of zero carbon sources, plus easy access to foreign imports.
It will more than offset seasonal reductions and the recent closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, the UKs last coal-fired power station, NESO claims.
Ofgem announced the new interconnectors yesterday, saying they were empowering Great Britain for a clean and flexible energy future.
The regulator has confirmed plans for up to 18 of the cables by 2032 amid hopes Britain will be a net exporter of energy by 2030.
The LionLink is also known as an Offshore Hybrid Asset (OHA) which will connect Dutch offshore windfarms to the British grid with an onshore landing point in Suffolk.
The second new OHA, Nautilus, will connect Belgium offshore windfarms to the British grid, coming ashore at the Isle of Grain in Kent.
The London skyline from the viewing platform of Horizon 22, taken on November 8 as the UK was gripped by a period of anticyclonic gloom bringing little to no wind, sunshine and rain
A worker in the National Grid control room in Sindlesham, Berkshire (file photograph)
It is hoped that LionLink will provide up to 1.8GW of ‘clean electricity’ to each country , while Nautilus will provide up to 1.4GW of offshore wind to each country.
Akshay Kaul, director general for infrastructure at Ofgem, said: Weve carefully assessed all the proposed projects and only approved those ones which deliver for consumers in terms of value, viability and energy security.
As we shift to a clean power system more reliant on intermittent wind and solar energy, these new connections will help harness the vast potential of the North Sea and play a key role in making our energy supply cheaper and less reliant on volatile foreign gas markets and associated price spikes.
And Energy Minister Michael Shanks said: Our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower requires us to make a once-in-a-generation upgrade of Britains energy infrastructure – which will include rolling out more interconnector projects in the future, bringing skilled jobs and investment to communities across the country.