Current status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 November 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost is to consumers in Scotland of transmission losses from Scottish electricity generators to the rest of UK.
The costs of transmission losses are not allocated to the consumer. They are dealt with through the Balancing Mechanism used by the National Grid as a means of balancing power flows on to and off of the electricity Transmission System in Great Britain. The costs of transmission losses are met by electricity generators and distribution companies drawing the electricity off the transmission network.
Elexon is the body that administers the Balancing Mechanism. More information can be found on its website:
http://www.elexon.co.uk/ELEXON%20Documents/Transmission_Losses.pdf