Official forecasts show country will meet energy demand by paying high prices to secure imports

Great Britain is expected to pay some of the highest energy costs in Europe this winter as its reliance on imports to ensure a steady supply is forecast to deepen.

Energy system operators have said the country will have enough gas and electricity to meet demand over the coldest months – in part because of paying higher market prices than neighbouring markets to secure imports.

The UK still imports 60% of its gas and, even with Jackdaw, its energy supply and resilience problems are not going away

After the overdue approval of the Jackdaw field in the North Sea, here comes a reminder that Britain still imports almost 60% of its gas and the stuff has to come from somewhere. We’re now doing a deal with Belgium to ensure enough supply can flow through a connecting pipeline this winter should a “low-probability but high-impact stress event”, to quote the regulatory mouthful, occur.

To be fair, the arrangement to maintain capacity from Belgium is a belt-and-braces measure. The imagined events do sound genuinely stressful and may never happen. A critical piece of infrastructure, such as the two import terminals in Milford Haven to bring in liquefied natural gas (LNG) into Britain, would have to be out of action during a prolonged cold snap in which demand is very high.

Rooftop solar alone generates more than half of all power used, as clear sunny days and low demand drive record-breaking surge

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Sunshine and wind met 80.4% of demand on Australia’s main power grid on Saturday, setting a new high bar for renewable electricity.

Solar panels on rooftops provided more than half of the power used in the national electricity market, the grid that supplies the eastern states, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, for 30 minutes around lunchtime. This was complemented by solar and windfarms, and a small amount of hydro (1%). Fossil fuels, coal and gas, contributed 20%.

Exclusive: deal in 2020 had sought to stimulate local battery making but industry says it still cannot meet targets

The EU and UK car industries are urging the European Commission to adjust the Brexit trade deal and suspend, for a second time, tariffs on imports of electric vehicles.

They have expressed concerns that they will not be able to meet the conditions set for 1 January 2027 for tariff-free sales. This is because of strict rules of origin over what products can qualify for tariff-free trade under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement which has applied since 2021.

Exclusive: BHP once dubbed climate change an ‘existential’ threat. But leaked documents show it has backtracked on decarbonisation at a vast network of mines

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In the middle of 2019, London was sweltering through a heatwave.

Temperature records tumbled. Frail, ill and elderly people died in their hundreds.