Commons Sense

House of Commons · Adjournment Debate

Solar Flares and Electricity Grid Reliance

18 November 2020 · 4 other contributors

Opened by Paul Maynard Con Blackpool North and Cleveleys

EnergyEnvironment

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Paul Maynard raised concerns about solar flares and electricity grid reliance in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • The MP questioned the UK's preparedness for a solar flare that could disrupt electricity grids, citing past events like the 1989 Quebec incident.
  • The MP highlighted the growing reliance on technology, making solar flares more impactful and raising concerns about current preparations.
  • The Minister assured that severe space weather is taken seriously, noting the UK's leadership in forecasting through the Met Office's Space Weather Operations Centre.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Paul Maynard Con Blackpool North and Cleveleys

The MP questioned the UK's preparedness for a solar flare, which could severely disrupt electricity grids. He highlighted past events like the Quebec incident in 1989 and emphasised the growing reliance on technology that makes such incidents more impactful. He was concerned about the adequacy of current preparations given historical instances where measures were not adequate for the specific risk encountered. He questioned whether sufficient progress has been made since the 2015 space weather preparedness strategy, particularly regarding monitoring capabilities, resilience of infrastructure like transformers and interconnectors, and international cooperation.

Other contributors (4)
  • Name

    I urge him to speak to EirGrid, the Irish grid operator. The nearest radiation monitor is in Belgium, can this affect UK monitoring? What steps have been taken for sovereign capability and when was the last Met Office review of warning systems?

  • Name

    The British Geological Survey's magnetic observatories are operational but how resilient are they to space weather? What progress has been made on publicly funded research, and what steps have been taken with international partners?

  • Name

    Is the GB power grid network still highly meshed and resilient compared to others as stated in 2015? What measures has National Grid implemented for transformer protection, and how are interconnectors being made more resilient?

  • Name

    When was the last national risk assessment update regarding space weather events?

Government Response

Kwasi Kwarteng

The Minister assured that severe space weather is taken seriously, and noted the UK's leadership in forecasting through the Met Office’s Space Weather Operations Centre. He confirmed that all three magnetic observatories are operational and resilient to space weather. Regarding National Grid’s resilience, he acknowledged concerns but highlighted improvements since 2013 with more offshore wind capacity and interconnectors. The Minister stated plans for deploying spare transformers and introducing new transformer designs resistant to space weather effects. A new space weather strategy will be published next year outlining a five-year roadmap to enhance resilience. He emphasised ongoing collaboration among industry, thinkers, and government to mitigate risks from solar flares.

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