England match sees electricity use jump 1400MW
While football is on the brink of coming home, it is also producing record-breaking surges in electricity demand.
As the nation collectively sat down to watch England’s Euro 2020 semi-final match-up with Denmark on Wednesday night, demand for power skyrocketed by 1400MW at half-time and 1300MW at the end of 90 minutes, making it one of the biggest TV moments in terms of electricity pick-up in modern times.
Forecasts prior to the match suggested pick-up in the region of 1200MW, with millions of litres of water (via pumped storage) standing ready at Dinorwig, ready to be deployed in order for people to make their half-time cup of tea. And according to the grid’s control centre, ITV ad breaks only served to fuel movement at half-time.
Wednesday night’s pick-up was the same as the 2018 World Cup semi-final against Croatia (also 1400MW), but on this occasion Gareth Southgate’s side went one step further.
Research by OLBG shows the England-West Germany match-up at the 1990 World Cup still accounts for the biggest sports-related pick-up, falling just 200MW short of the 1999 Solar Eclipse.
|
Rank |
TV Moment |
Date |
Pick-up in MW |
|
1 |
Solar Eclipse 1999 |
11/08/1999 |
3,000 |
|
2 |
England v West Germany – World Cup Semi-Final |
04/07/1990 |
2,800 |
|
3 |
The Thorn Birds |
22/01/1984 |
2,600 |
|
4 |
England v Brazil – World Cup quarter-final |
21/06/2002 |
2,570 |
|
5 |
Nigeria v England – group match |
12/06/2002 |
2,340 |
|
6 |
Eastenders: Lisa admits shooting Phil |
05/04/2001 |
2,290 |
|
7 |
The Darling Buds Of May |
12/05/1991 |
2,200 |
|
8 |
England v Australia – Rugby World Cup Final |
22/11/2003 |
2,110 |
|
9 |
Argentina v England – FIFA World Cup round of 16 |
30/06/1998 |
2,100 |
|
10 |
Italy v Argentina – World Cup semi-final |
03/07/1990 |
2,000 |
|
11 |
England v Portugal – World Cup quarter-final |
01/07/2006 |
1,960 |
|
12 |
Sweden v England – World Cup group stage |
20/06/2006 |
1,830 |
|
13 |
Juventus v Man Utd – UCL semi-final |
21/04/1999 |
1,820 |
|
14 |
Wedding of Charles and Diana |
29/07/1981 |
1,800 |
|
15 |
England v Ecuador – World Cup round of 16 |
25/06/2006 |
1,700 |
|
16 |
England v Germany – Euro 2020 |
29/06/2021 |
1,600 |
|
17 |
Royal Wedding – William & Kate |
29/04/2011 |
1,600 |
|
18 |
England v Croatia – World Cup semi-final |
11/07/2018 |
1,400 |
|
19 |
England v Sweden – World Cup quarter-final |
07/07/2018 |
1,400 |
|
20 |
Rugby World Cup Final – England v South Africa |
02/11/2019 |
1,300 |
|
21 |
England v Colombia – World Cup round of 16 |
03/07/2018 |
1,200 |
|
22 |
England v Ukraine – Euro 2020 quarter-final |
03/07/2021 |
960 |
|
23 |
Clap for Carers |
Various |
800 |
|
24 |
England v West Germany – World Cup 1966 |
30/07/2021 |
600 |
The Three Lions’ quarter-final thrashing of Ukraine registered a 960MW pick-up at half-time, which was good enough for 22nd in our rankings – the equivalent of 190 million light bulbs, or 530,000 kettles. Demand waned as the result became clear, with 450MW required at full-time with fans drifting off.
Prior to that, a 55-year wait for a win over Germany at a major tournament ended with a 2-0 win for England in their round of 16 tie, with the national control room confirming a 1GW pick-up at half-time and 1.6GW at full-time, surpassing the grid operator’s best guess of 900MW beforehand. That is the equivalent of 320 million light bulbs, or 888,000 simultaneously boiling kettles.
