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National Energy System Operator: Blackout Risk

The Government take the allegations that the whistleblowers have made recently concerning the operation of NESO very seriously. An external legal firm has been appointed to investigate, reporting to a panel independent of senior management; indeed, there is the opportunity for anybody independent of senior management to make representations to that inquiry. It would be wrong to prejudge the outcome at this stage.

As for the wider issue of constraint payments, this is substantially an issue of grid management and grid development, which the noble Lord will know were grievously neglected under the previous Conservative Government. The present Government have very ambitious plans to make sure that the grid is expanded, repaired and updated so that constraints can be managed much more effectively as part of the overall grid process.