La Nina Could Drive Up U.K. Energy Prices
- Cooler temperatures and lower wind speeds seen across Europe
- National Grid may have to buy more expensive backup power
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Electricity prices in Britain may rise this winter as the El Nino weather system ebbs away, driving up energy demand while quelling breezes that wind farms depend on to generate renewable power.
The La Nina weather patterns that generally follows El Nino may cool temperatures and curtail wind speeds from the U.K. to Germany, according to U.K. government meteorologists. That in turn would boost winter heating needs at the moment when weaker air currents reduce output from wind farms. The result would force utilities to rely on more expensive backup supplies.