Britain’s electricity system operator has called for extra power supplies during Wednesday evening’s solar eclipse as a "precautionary" measure. The state-owned National Energy System Operator (Neso) issued a notice seeking a "greater safety cushion" between demand and supply from 6pm to 8pm.

Europe’s first total solar eclipse of this century comes as Britain and the continent rely more heavily on solar power. Grid operators expect the loss of approximately 700 megawatts of solar power in Britain and about 9.7 gigawatts on the continent. Power supplies are already strained due to heatwaves, forcing some European nuclear plants to shut down due to warm river temperatures.

Octopus Energy, Britain’s largest household supplier, has offered customers free electricity if they reduce usage during the eclipse to avoid the need for backup fossil fuel plants. While Neso stated there is "no risk to customer electricity supplies," the notice reflects growing complications in managing renewable electricity and extreme weather.