Insight - Sussex Mayor takes power?

Britain has made remarkable progress in renewable energy generation, but
not in the way it distributes such energy.

In 2000, generation was concentrated around a small number of large power stations. In
2026, you find offshore wind, solar, and other sources all across the country. Yet at the
same time, electricity demand is increasing from homes, transport and industry, and the
dreaded data centres.

Because power is now created in places other than where it is needed, sometimes our
crazy system pays renewable energy generators NOT to produce power, called ‘thermal
constraint’. These costs rose from £0.6 billion in 2018/19 to £1.9 billion in 2025/26. The
National Audit Office reports they could reach up to £7.8 billion in 2030 if network
upgrades do not keep pace with new generation.

Burnham’s solution is to form the Great British Grid as part of Great British Energy
(Remember Great British Railways, a Starmer creation – you get the theme. Let us know
what you think the next Great British… will be) to compete with the existing private
power distributors (I suspect this is part of an emerging Burnham strategy of not really
facing up to the issue of de-privatisation).

Our suggestion is, as we are going to have Mayors all over the country and here in
Sussex, then give Mayors power to create localised distribution networks, since local is
good. Here we have lots of offshore wind power and all the solar power sunny Sussex
generates. We simply need the local network to send the electricity around.
The ultimate prize remains substantial: greater energy security, reduced exposure to
volatile international gas prices, lower system costs, skilled jobs and investment across
Sussex and the country, and the infrastructure needed to meet the UK’s climate
commitments. Britain has abundant renewable resources and an established energy
sector. 

Just let us make sure we can use all this energy properly, sensibly and locally.