Brits warned of power outages on cold evenings

UK energy crisis blamed on Russian gas problems

The head of the British power grid, National Grid, warns that blackouts could be introduced in the UK on cold weekday evenings. This statement was another sign of the growing energy crisis in Europe. The “extreme”, as always, turned out to be Russia – more precisely, problems with the supply of Russian energy resources.

The warning from the head of the National Grid came after the operator of the electricity and gas supply systems laid out unlikely scenarios for a power outage this winter in the UK, Sky News reported.

The head of the UK electricity and gas operator urged households to prepare for power outages between 4pm and 7pm weekdays on “very, very cold” days in January and February if gas imports are reduced.

John Pettigrew, head of National Grid, said power cuts will have to be introduced during the “deepest and darkest evenings” in January and February if power generators don’t have enough gas to meet demand, especially during cold weather.

His comments were made at the Financial Times Energy Transition Summit on Monday.

Earlier this month, the National Grid warned Britons that the likelihood of winter gas shortages had increased and that planned three-hour blackouts could be introduced in some parts of the country in the “unlikely” case of need.

For the first time since this warning, the time at which power outages in the UK can occur has been openly named.

As noted by Sky News, due to the conflict in Ukraine involving Russia and sanctions against Russian gas imports, many European countries are facing gas shortages. A large amount of electricity is generated from gas, putting a strain on national electricity supplies as demand increases in cold weather conditions.

The UK gets 40% of its electricity from gas-fired power plants, while gas heats the vast majority of homes. Although the UK does not import gas from Russia, it does import electricity and gas from European countries dependent on Russian gas, Sky News reminds.

Numerous measures are planned in the UK to avoid blackouts, including putting coal-fired plants on standby instead of decommissioning them as previously planned, and creating a demand flexibility service that allows consumers to be rewarded for not using electricity during periods peak demand.