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Great Britain Wind Output Jumps in Q1, Renewables Biggest Source of Power, Says Montel

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The power market in Great Britain saw strong wind output in the first quarter of the year reaching 29.2 terawatt-hours over the three months, helped by January storms, energy market insights provider Montel said in a market summary.

It noted that NBP gas prices more than doubled to 52.6 British pounds ($71.09) per megawatt-hour in March following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, up from 25.9 pounds in January.

Cold weather in early January drove up demand to 47.3 gigawatts, the highest since March 2018, Montel said.

Great Britain's net importers totaled 6.1 TWh over the quarter. Day-ahead prices reached 121.4 per MWh in early January rising to 182 pounds per MWh during times of system stress, the summary said.

Renewables in the quarter generated 40.3 TWh, gas 22.5 TWh and nuclear 8.4 TWh out of total consumption of 77.3 TWh.

The renewables portion of 40.3 TWh marked a considerable increase over 33.7 TWh in Q1 2025, Montel said and renewables produced 52% of all power produced in the first quarter.

Looking ahead to Q2, the summary said seasonal lower demand may reduce pressure amid the energy crisis that started with the Iran war but the market will remain sensitive to movements in global gas markets.

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