National Grid unveils plan for three-hour blackouts this winter to tackle gas shortage

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has jeopardised Europe’s energy security, as countries scrambling to secure additional gas supplies.

By Antony Ashkenaz

14:09, Thu, Oct 6, 2022 | UPDATED: 15:50, Thu, Oct 6, 2022

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Households and businesses across the UK could face planned power cuts this winter, if the country is unable to import electricity supplies from Europe, the National Grid has warned. The utility company responsible for the distribution of energy unveiled its plans to ration supplies as the UK struggles to secure enough gas imports to fuel its gas-fired power plants. Europe is currently gripped by a major fossil fuel energy crisis, triggered by Russia’s tightening of gas flows to the continent as retaliation to sanctions imposed by the West over the invasion of Ukraine. Over the past few months, fears have grown that Vladimir Putin will completely turn off the taps flowing to Europe, which has led the National Grid to prepare emergency measures should it fail to get a hold of sufficient energy supplies.

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While the UK is not reliant on Russian gas imports, Russia squeezing its exports has led to increased competition for other suppliers, as European countries scramble to prevent a cold winter.

• Under these plans, households in different parts of the country would be notified a day in advance of the three-hour blocks of time during which their power would be cut off, in an effort to lower the UK’s total energy consumption by 5 percent. 

• This emergency plan would need to be approved by King Charles, on the recommendation of the business secretary, Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The National Grid also warned that  in the “unlikely event” that the company fails to secure gas supplies, consumers could face a situation where they are left without power  for “pre-defined periods” during the day, in a effort  to “ensure the overall security and integrity of the electricity system across Great Britain”.

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National Grid unveils plan for three-hour blackouts this winter to tackle gas shortage (Image: Getty)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a scramble for energy supplies (Image: GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

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However, the company warned that planned power cuts would only take place if the electricity imports from Europe were reduced and there were also insufficient gas supplies for power stations.

Looking at a range of scenarios, National Grid detailed what could happen this winter as it tries to secure its power supplies following the chaos caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The company has enacted a number of different initiatives to balance the electricity network this winter, including keeping five coal-fired power plants standing by, after signing deals with Drax, EDF and Uniper at a cost of £340million to £395million, securing up to 2 gigawatts of power.

In November, it also unveil a “demand flexibility service”, that will incentive households and businesses to use power outside peak demand periods like early evenings on weekdays, to lessen the strain on the grid.

Europe’s alternatives to Russian gas (Image: Express)

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The initiative, which was first trialled by Octopus Energy last year, paid consumers with smart meters for using power during these off-peak periods.

The National Grid estimates that with enough participation, this scheme would free up a further 2 GW of electricity, which is enough to power about 600,000 homes in the UK.

To ease fears, the network operator stressed that it was “cautiously confident” that there would be enough electricity supplies this winter to meet the UK’s demands of businesses and consumers.

In its “base case” scenario, the company estimated that there would be around 3.7GW more of electricity generated than the UK needs, forecasting a “sufficient operational surplus throughout winter”. However, even under this scenario, the company expects tight margins from early December through to mid-January, excluding Christmas.