UK warned to expect ‘power cuts and blackouts in January’ as part of ‘a winter contingency plan’

The government have warned that in January there could be power cuts and blackouts in a “reasonable worst-case scenario” as part of a winter contingency plan lasting for four days.

Kathryn Porter, an energy consultant at Watt-Logic, said the proposed measures by the government “put at risk the ability of Britain to import from Norway this winter.”

She added, “National Grid ESO needs to urgently update its winter outlook taking account of this threat to Britain’s energy security.

“Longer term, we need to develop more domestic generation and rely less on imports.”

The power cuts will happen even after the emergency coal plants have started up which means the UK could see government organised blackouts.

This week Norway has threatened to limit their exports to the UK and Europe this winter which could also trigger fuel rationing as there is growing anger in the country over rising domestic energy prices amongst Norwegians.

There are also reduced electricity imports from Norway which could also spark emergency measures to keep gas reserves.

The National Grid has said that they are expecting to be able to draw on 5.7 gigawatts of power from the continent which is around 10% of demand during peak times, and a 1.4 giggawatts is hopefully coming from Norway.

Conservative MP Bob Seely blasted, who said, “There is likely to be an energy emergency in Europe, primarily caused by Germany’s disastrous decisions; first, to shut down its nuclear power stations to appease its obsessively anti-nuclear green lobby, and, second, to become utterly dependent on Russian gas.

“Currently, it seems likely that Putin will squeeze energy supplies further this winter to extract the maximum political pressure in Germany and other EU states that use Russian gas, such as Italy and Hungary.

“He wants to undermine the coalition in support of Ukraine.”

Speaking to the Telegraph, he added, “I hope the Grid’s assumptions are correct, but it is dependent on a level of Russian supply which may not be there, and French nuclear power, which has problems of its own.

“There are other countries we take from including the coal-burning Dutch power stations, but they will have their own pressures.”