Written question asked by Lord Jenkin of Roding (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Taylor of Holbeach (Conservative) on Monday, 11 October 2010.

Energy: Electricity

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the outcome of the workshop they held on 21 September to consider the threat of disruption to the nation’s electricity transmission networks by electromagnetic pulses caused by coronal mass ejections or similar events.

Answer: The workshop held on 21 September 2010 was part of ongoing work by HMG to understand better the likelihood and impact of a severe space weather event. Representatives from government, regulators, industry and asset owners from the communications, transport and energy sectors, together with space weather experts from the UK and the US, discussed the predicted severity of future space events and contingency and resilience measures sectors have in place to reduce the risk. Following the main meeting, an energy-specific workshop discussed what is being done to limit impacts of space weather on electricity networks—a topic on which the Department for Energy and Climate Change is continuing to work with the electricity supply industry.

Secondary information