“Britain is paying wind farms to reduce their output while businesses are struggling to get electricity.” — Tone Langengen. Our verdict: Partly True.
Tone Langengen made the statement in an AOL article about Tony Blair urging John Healey to drop the net zero focus in an energy shake-up. The article is undated.
Our verdict
Partly True
Partly true. There is good evidence that Britain pays wind farms to cut their output when the grid cannot cope, and the quote itself is accurately attributed. But we found no evidence that businesses are actually struggling to get electricity — only that they face high costs and long waits for new grid connections.
What we found
The claim has two main parts, and they stand up differently. On the first part, National Grid's business plan from December 2024 sets out around £12 billion in constraint costs it aims to avoid, which shows that payments to manage the grid, including for wind curtailment, exist. A Scottish Renewables report also explains that the system curtails wind generation when the network cannot handle its output. Together these confirm that wind farms are paid to reduce output, though neither source gives current payment figures. On the second part, we could not find evidence that businesses are being denied electricity. An Energy UK and CBI blueprint from July 2026 shows businesses face high energy costs, and a Mint Selection blog from February 2026 describes a backlog in grid connections for new projects. Neither shows that existing businesses are unable to get power. The quote itself is accurately attributed to Tone Langengen in the AOL article, though that article carries no date.
The evidence
4 of 5 sources support the claim; none contradict it.
- Background
The AOL article attributes the exact statement to Tone Langengen, confirming the quote was made, though the article has no publication date. [1]
- Supports the claim
National Grid's December 2024 business plan refers to around £12 billion in constraint costs it aims to avoid, showing that constraint payments exist in the system. [2]
- Supports the claim
A Scottish Renewables report explains that the grid curtails wind generation when the network cannot handle its output, confirming the practice of reducing wind output. [3]
- Supports the claim
An Energy UK and CBI blueprint from July 2026 shows businesses face high energy costs, but it does not show that businesses cannot get electricity. [4]
- Supports the claim
A Mint Selection blog from February 2026 reports a backlog in grid connections, with new projects facing delays, but this concerns future connections rather than existing businesses being denied supply. [5]
What we could not confirm
- Whether existing businesses are currently unable to obtain electricity, as opposed to facing high costs or waiting for new connections.
- Current payment levels to specific wind farms as of October 2026; the sources confirm the payment system exists but do not give up-to-date figures.
- The publication date of the AOL article, which limits how well we can place the quote in time.
How we checked
We looked at National Grid's business plan, a Scottish Renewables report on grid constraints, an Energy UK and CBI blueprint on business energy costs, a Mint Selection blog on grid queues, and the original AOL article carrying the quote. We reviewed 5 relevant sources.
Sources
- [1]www.aol.co.uk · Tony Blair tells John Healey to ditch net zero focus in major energy shake-up - AOL
- [2]National Grid Electricity Transmission · National Grid Electricity Transmission's Business Plan December 2024 · December 1, 2024
- [3]scottishrenewables.com · Exploring options for constraint management in the GB electricity system · January 1, 2024
- [4]Energy UK and CBI · Cutting Business Energy Costs: A blueprint to boost growth · July 14, 2026
- [5]mintselection.com · Grid Queues Remain a Bottleneck in the UK by Mint Selection · February 1, 2026
Have evidence we missed?
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