Total import MW from Carbon Intensity API · distributed proportionally by capacity · per-link live metering not publicly available · Viking and NSL can also export UK wind to continent.
Ofgem price cap — Q2 2026
Annual cap (typical household)
£1,862
1 Apr – 30 Jun 2026 · down 6.6% from Q1
Electricity unit rate
26.11p/kWh
Standing charge: 57.19p/day
Gas unit rate
7.33p/kWh
Standing charge: 29.04p/day
Q3 announcement in
47 days
26 Aug 2026 · covers Jul–Sep 2026
Cap expires in
82 days
30 Sep 2026
Q3 forecast direction
▲ Higher
Hormuz tensions pushing wholesale up
Ofgem sets the cap quarterly · next review 26 Aug · new cap starts 1 Oct 2026 · applies to standard variable tariffs only · update unit rates each quarter in the PHP.
Grid-scale battery storage — BESS
Likely discharging
Evening peak — batteries releasing stored energy
6.9 GW
12,900 MWh total · end 2025
Operational capacity
12,900 MWh
+45% growth in 2025
Power output
6.9 GW
Instantaneous discharge capacity
Response time
<1 second
vs 16 sec for Dinorwig pumped storage
2030 target
50 GWh
Pipeline: 130+ GWh approved
Minety
Wiltshire
Power150 MW
Storage150 MWh
OwnerShell Energy / China Huaneng
Li-ion
Pillswood
East Yorkshire
Power98 MW
Storage196 MWh
OwnerHarmony Energy
Tesla Megapack
Capenhurst
Cheshire
Power100 MW
Storage100 MWh
OwnerGresham House
Li-ion
Gateway Energy Centre
Essex
Power450 MW
Storage900 MWh
OwnerAmp Energy
Li-ion
Kincardine
Aberdeenshire
Power400 MW
Storage800 MWh
OwnerAmp Energy
Li-ion
Trafford (planned)
Manchester
Power1040 MW
Storage2080 MWh
OwnerCarlton Power
Li-ionplanned
Pembroke (planned)
South Wales
Power350 MW
Storage700 MWh
OwnerRWE
Li-ionplanned
UK operational BESS: 12.9 GWh / 6.9 GW as of end 2025 · Source: Energy Storage News · Status inferred from grid conditions · Individual site metering not publicly available.
Pumped storage — the grid's gravity battery
Likely discharging
Evening peak demand — releasing stored water through turbines · Renewables now: 29% · Inferred from grid conditions
2.83 GW
total UK capacity · 24.3 GWh storage
Dinorwig
Snowdonia, Wales · Built 1984
Max output1.73 GW
Storage9.1 GWh
Response time16 seconds
💧 Built to handle the TV pickup — can power 1.7m homes instantly
Cruachan
Argyll, Scotland · Built 1965
Max output0.44 GW
Storage7.1 GWh
Response time30 seconds
💧 Known as "the hollow mountain" — open for public tours
Ffestiniog
Snowdonia, Wales · Built 1963
Max output0.36 GW
Storage1.8 GWh
Response time60 seconds
💧 Oldest pumped storage in the UK — still going strong
Foyers
Inverness-shire, Scotland · Built 1975
Max output0.3 GW
Storage6.3 GWh
Response time60 seconds
💧 Originally built to power an aluminium smelter
Total capacity
2.83 GW
All 4 operational sites
Total storage
24.3 GWh
Combined reservoir capacity
Fastest response
16 seconds
Dinorwig — standby to full power
Pipeline capacity
2.55 GW
New projects consented/planned
New pumped storage — in the pipeline
Coire Glas
Consented — awaiting FID
Capacity1.5 GW
Storage30 GWh
OwnerSSE Renewables
Would be UK's largest ever pumped storage — 1.5 GW for 20 hours
Red John
Consented 2024
Capacity0.45 GW
Storage10.8 GWh
OwnerStatera Energy
Near Loch Ness — upper reservoir on hillside above loch
Loch na Cathrach
In development
Capacity0.6 GW
Storage12 GWh
OwnerDrax Group
Near existing Cruachan site — benefits from existing grid connection
Charging/discharging status inferred from renewables % and time of day — not directly metered. Pumped storage counted within hydro % in Carbon Intensity API. Efficiency ~75-80%.
Per-site output estimated by distributing the total Solar figure (5.0 GW) proportionally by installed capacity. Actual output varies by conditions and operational status.