The National Grid has warned households that blackouts will have be imposed during Winter if gas imports are reduced.
John Pettigrew, who heads up the electricity and gas operator, said that blackouts would have to be imposed during the “deepest darkest evenings” in January and February, if generators did not have enough gas to cope with demand.
According to SKY News:
His comments were made at the Financial Times’s Energy Transition Summit on Monday.
Earlier this month, the National Grid had put the country on noticethat the chances of gas shortages in winter have risen and that planned three-hour power blackouts could be imposed in some areas, in the “unlikely” event supplies of gas fall short of demand.
This is the first time since the warning that there has been explicit discussion of what time blackouts may take place.
Britain gets 40% of its electricity from gas-fired power stations while gas heats the vast majority of homes.
Numerous measures are planned to avoid blackouts, including placing coal-fired power stations on standby instead of retiring them as previously planned.
There are plans also, to reward customers for not using power during times of peak demand.
