Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of the System Operator favoring high carbon power stations over low carbon options in the balancing mechanism.

The Electricity System Operator (ESO) has a licence obligation to operate the system in the most economic and efficient way possible. The main factors that influence operating decisions are cost, system conditions, network constraints, generators’ technical capabilities, and the ESO’s own operational capabilities.

The ESO has an ambition to operate the transmission system with 100% zero carbon for short periods in 2025. It therefore has an extensive programme of work to extend its ability to operate a zero-carbon transmission system across more market and system scenarios.