Hydrogen East argues operations and maintenance for renewable assets should be measured by how much low-carbon energy actually reaches productive use, not just by asset uptime. The article points to NESO data showing around 1.5 TWh of wind curtailment in March 2026 and 1.1 TWh in April, with total monthly balancing costs of £372.8m and £304m respectively. Those costs cover more than curtailment, but they underline how network constraints waste clean power while adding system costs. With NESO estimating balancing costs could reach around £8bn by 2030, and up to £4bn avoidable through faster network projects, Hydrogen East sees a near-term role for batteries, electrolysers, and local demand to turn passive shutdown into active energy management. The East of England is the testbed because it combines offshore wind, nuclear, ports, industry, and emerging hydrogen demand. The full argument is in the Eastern Daily Press piece, which also covers the limits of network reinforcement as the only fix.
