This winter the UK will have the lowest risk of electricity blackouts in four years despite the recent closure of the nation’s last coal-fired power plant and delays to the upcoming Hinkley Point C power plant.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) said that energy margins this season will be “adequate”, assuming that energy demand peaks around 60GW during the worst cold spell, and is more confident than it was in advance of the 2023/2024 winter.

It said the higher year-on-year margin is driven by a new interconnection, growth in battery storage capacity and an increase in generation connected to the distribution networks. In April, National Grid turned on the Viking Link – the longest land and subsea cable in the world – that links the Danish electricity system with the UK.

NESO said the recent additions to the energy network “more than offset” the recent closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar, the UK’s last coal fired power station, alongside other temporary capacity reductions. But the body...