Following the coverage in the last Combustion Industry News of the possible future approach to grid operation in Germany, in which supply would dictate consumption patterns, shifting with the intermittency of solar and wind power generation, there is news from Sweden in an associated vein this fortnight. The Swedish grid operator is predicting that with the closure of a number of nuclear power plants in the next two years, the country will be forced to import power during winters as wind power generation will be unlikely to be able to cover peak demand. Last winter, following the closure of one nuclear power plant, Sweden used its reserve energy plants to make up a power shortfall, which shows that the situation is already tight. The news raises a couple of interesting questions – if both Germany and Sweden arrive at situations where they need to be importing electricity in winter, will neighbouring countries – Denmark and Finland, for example – follow a similar path? In such a case, who will be generating all the electricity in winter, and how?