Smart meter roll-out halted on North York Moors to prevent ‘interference with nuclear warning system’
Energy customers living near to RAF Fylingdales have been told they cannot have a smart meter installed as it may interfere with early warning systems for nuclear weapons.
The base, located on the A169 in the heart of the North Yorkshire Moors, is a key part of a missile defence system which helps the UK detect inbound ballistic missile attacks
According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the smart meter’s signals may clash with Fylingdale’s radar monitoring equipment.
A letter from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, seen by the paper, said: “Some premises within the vicinity of RAF Fylingdales will require new technology that industry has been developing – a special type of communications hub – for smart meters at those properties to connect to the national smart metering network.”
Ministers have stopped the roll-out to houses near the base until they can be given a meter that operates on a different frequency.
One person living close to RAF Fylingdales queried the situation with their energy supplier and posted their response on a forum hosted by the Money Saving Expert website: “The Communication Hubs we install in the north operate at a certain radio frequency (420 Hz), but for installs in and around this area we are required to install Communication Hubs that operate at a different frequency - 450 Hz. This is to prevent interference with the listening frequencies.”
The Government said that alternative tech compatible with RAF Fylingdales is currently being rolled out, with a test deployment to 300 homes currently under way.
Mike Hewitt, the chief technology officer of Smart DCC, the Capita-owned company which runs the smart meter radio network, told the Telegraph: “This work around RAF Fylingdales is a good example of the kind of technical problem-solving needed to connect every home and small business to the nationwide secure smart metering network.
"I’m pleased that by working with the local community and our partners, we’ve built a solution that works for consumers in the area and the RAF.”
He said hundreds of homes nearby had already been given the new tech.