The UK’s energy sector is at the heart of keeping the nation running, powering homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure.
Behind the scenes, the Met Office plays a vital role in supporting this sector, providing the weather and climate intelligence that energy companies need to plan, operate, and innovate.
Forecasting for a resilient energy system
Weather is one of the most significant variables affecting both energy supply and demand. The Met Office provides a comprehensive range of forecasts and observation data to help energy companies understand how weather will impact their operations. This intelligence enables efficient planning and helps improve energy security across the UK.
For example, the Met Office worked closely with National Grid’s Electricity System Operator (now known as the National Energy System Operator (NESO)) to enhance the accuracy of solar radiation forecasts. This improvement directly benefits electricity demand forecasting, helping the grid to balance supply and demand more effectively and reducing the risk of outages or inefficiencies.
READ MORE: Impact of extreme heat events on industries
Supporting renewable energy innovation
As the UK transitions to a low-carbon future, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are playing an ever-greater role. The Met Office has deployed more than 15 meteorologists to support over 22 renewable offshore operations, providing critical weather insights for safe and efficient construction and maintenance.
A notable example is the support provided for the installation of the world’s first floating windfarm at Hywind in Scotland. By delivering tailored weather forecasts and risk assessments, the Met Office helped ensure the project’s success and safety, demonstrating the value of meteorological expertise in pioneering renewable energy projects.
Enhancing infrastructure resilience
Extreme weather can pose significant risks to energy infrastructure. The Met Office works with partners such as SSE to develop advanced models, including an ice accretion model that helps identify areas most at risk of ice build-up. This enables more targeted engineering and planning, reducing unnecessary costs and improving resilience.
The Met Office also provides hazard forecasts to Distribution Network Providers, supporting their planning ahead of severe and extreme weather events. By anticipating risks such as wildfires, land slippages, and localised flooding—often in collaboration with organisations like SEPA and the Environment Agency, the Met Office helps energy companies safeguard their assets and maintain reliable service.
Supporting the nuclear sector and transmission networks
The UK’s nuclear sector relies on robust weather and climate intelligence for design and safety planning. The Met Office has delivered studies on rare, high-impact events, such as 1 in 10,000-year weather scenarios, to inform the design and resilience of nuclear facilities.
Transmission companies also benefit from Met Office expertise, with projects focused on improving the efficiency and social impact of transmission networks. This includes dynamic line rating, corrosion mapping, and line noise analysis, all of which contribute to a more reliable and sustainable energy system.
Understanding the impact of space weather and climate change
Beyond terrestrial weather, the Met Office supports the nuclear industry and NESO in understanding the potential impacts of space weather events, such as solar storms, which can disrupt power grids and communications.
READ MORE: The cost of turbulence: How can weather data help?
Looking to the future, the Met Office is engaged in projects examining the long-term impact of climate change on offshore wind farm generation and the energy demand associated with heat pumps. This research helps the energy sector prepare for changing patterns of supply and demand, ensuring the UK remains resilient as the climate evolves.
Delivering data-driven solutions for energy companies
The Met Office supplies a range of data services to companies such as EDF, supporting the modelling of energy generation from renewable sites and forecasting consumer demand.
Partnerships with technology providers like ESRI allow the Met Office to align with energy companies’ own systems, making it easier to visualise and model weather data within their existing workflows.
Trusted services, when it matters most
The Met Office delivers vital weather and climate intelligence that powers Britain’s clean energy transformation. Our innovative technology and trusted services act as essential "fuel" for achieving clean power by 2030 and support energy security, protect billpayers, and strengthen resilience in a changing climate.
We enable the UK’s transition to home-grown clean energy through precise forecasting and climate insights. Our tailored weather services help optimize renewable generation and grid management, positioning Britain as a clean energy superpower. Through expert analysis and future scenario planning, we help shape climate-resilient energy systems for the decades ahead.
From daily forecasts to long-term climate projections, the Met Office is a trusted partner to the UK energy sector. By delivering timely, accurate, and actionable weather and climate intelligence, the Met Office helps keep the lights on, supports the transition to a greener future, and ensures the UK’s energy system remains resilient, whatever the weather.
Keep up to date with weather warnings, and you can find the latest forecast on our website, on YouTube, by following us on X and Facebook, as well as on our mobile app which is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from the Google Play store.
