Five years after Brexit, the UK reconnects to the EU power grid—only to find itself the victim of a bad deal.
It sounds absurd: Britons are subsidizing France’s energy bills. From 2030 to 2050, UK taxpayers will foot the bill for £1.6 billion in subsidies to EU neighbors like France—averaging £770 million per year.
This is due to Labour’s forced push for “Clean Energy by 2030,” which led to rampant wind farm construction—but with a fragmented national grid. Wind farms are concentrated in northern Scotland, while transmission capacity fails to reach Kent’s port at Folkestone, the direct link to France. On windy days, UK electricity prices plummet into negative territory, allowing France to snap up cheap power—but grid operators must then activate gas-fired plants in the southeast to “balance the system.”
The result? British consumers pay twice: once for wind energy subsidies to developers, and again for expensive gas generation. Meanwhile, French consumers enjoy low-cost electricity from Scotland’s winds.
Even Energy Minister Kortiño has criticized: “Our electricity market protects wind developers, not consumers.” Octopus estimates that if the new UK-EU power agreement takes effect, these subsidies will only grow larger.
In reality, Starmer frames “UK-EU power interconnectivity” as a political achievement symbolizing a reset in relations—but it’s really just trading Britain’s wallet for Brussels’ smiles.
Five years after Brexit, rejoining the EU grid reveals the truth: what came back wasn’t cheaper electricity, but a costly liability.
With ageing French nuclear plants and Dutch energy shortages, neighbouring countries are quietly delighted. Meanwhile, British household bills quietly rise. What “clean energy leadership” actually means: paying more to keep neighbours powered.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868294935781444/
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