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

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.

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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Patriotman currently ekes out a survivalist lifestyle in a suburban northeastern state as best as he can. He has varied experience in political science, public policy, biological sciences, and higher education. Proudly Catholic and an Eagle Scout, he has no military experience and thus offers a relatable perspective for the average suburban prepper who is preparing for troubled times on the horizon with less than ideal teams and in less than ideal locations. Brushbeater Store Page: http://bit.ly/BrushbeaterStore

One Comment

mike October 7, 2022 at 08:40

So if you shut someone’s power off for three hours and the home temperature drops to about 40 degrees, They will turn the thermostat up to 75 or 80 to compensate when the power comes back on. If they know in advance when the power will go out, they will do the same beforehand. If this becomes a regular event, people will simply run the house hotter than normal all winter when there is power so they can get through the outages with a level of comfort. The result will be more heating fuel used because of the rolling blackouts than if there had not been a blackout policy at all. It reminds me of the mandatory gallons per flush regulations the Feds imposed upon American toilet manufacturers some time ago. It did not occur to the ruling class that if people are not satisfied with the results of the first limited water flow flush, that they would simply flush again until they are satisfied. End result, more water used per turd then would have been the case if the regulators had just butted out in the first place.