Overview
- Neso forecasts each England and Scotland group match could raise UK electricity demand by about 600 megawatts, a rise driven by mass TV and device use.
- The 600MW per-game estimate equals the combined typical demand of Leeds and Glasgow, making these spikes large compared with normal domestic loads.
- Across the 39-day tournament the operator models an aggregate rise of roughly 18 gigawatts in peak usage compared with 2022 because the event features 104 games.
- Neso says the spikes will come from viewers plus common halftime and full-time actions such as making tea and opening fridges, and it expects per-viewer electricity use to be lower than in 1998 because TVs and devices are more efficient.
- Grid operators plan to manage predicted peaks with improved forecasting, battery and pumped-hydro storage and round-the-clock engineers, and they will monitor and adjust responses in real time as matches are played.