Defra has published plans to protect the UK’s power supply from the impacts of climate change. Flooding of sub stations, difficulties in keeping power stations cool in hotter summers and damage to overhead wires and underground cables in periods of drought were amongst the key threats that energy firms found climate change could pose to their business.

The reports show that the energy sector has made progress in planning for these risks, but that more work will be required over the coming years to protect infrastructure assets and ensure new projects are designed to cope with conditions that will be very different to what they are today.
The reports will help Government assess the UK’s readiness for climate change and the actions needed to adapt. Later this month Defra will publish the Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA), a world-leading report that will give the UK the most comprehensive overview of any nation of the challenges climate change will present.