Written question asked by Lord Vinson (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Marland (Conservative) on Monday, 14 June 2010.

Energy: Wind Turbines

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what level of standby generation will be needed to fill any gaps in supply caused by the intermittency of wind generation when the programme to build wind turbines has been completed.

Answer: The Government take an active concern in ensuring security of supply in the electricity market. DECC estimates suggest that 27 gigawatts of wind generation could be operational by 2020. National Grid also provides seven-year forecasts of generation capacity and demand, updated and published annually. Several methods are expected to be available by 2020 to balance the intermittent nature of the available wind generation. These include standby generation, storage, import and export to other countries, and demand-side response. Under the current market arrangements, the balance of these measures depends on the investment decisions of commercial players in the electricity market.

Secondary information