Chris O’Shea, Chief Executive Officer of Centrica, has raised concerns regarding the efficiency and future role of wind power in the UK’s energy system.
In a recent LinkedIn post, Mr O’Shea highlighted the current utilisation rates of wind generation capacity and questioned the emphasis on expanding wind power.
Mr O’Shea stated, “The UK has around 30GW of installed wind generation capacity which has generated 4.41GW of electricity on average in the last week. This means less than 15% utilisation.
“If you look over the last year, wind has generated 9.43GW, which takes the utilisation up to 30%.”
The boss of the owner of British Gas posed the question of whether focusing heavily on building more wind generation would improve the energy system or simply reduce the utilisation of existing wind generation capacity.
Mr O’Shea also questioned the need for subsidies for wind farms, noting the form of a guaranteed price for electricity produced.
He said: “Whilst wind power is great, we run a real risk if we focus too much on new wind as we look to decarbonise the energy system of the future. A net zero future requires a range of technologies and a good balance.”
Last week, the government launched the first major partnership of GB Energy with The Crown Estate, targeting wind farm projects that could generate between 20GW and 30GW of offshore power, aiming to reach the lease stage by 2030.
