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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Alex Lawson Energy correspondent

Cold snap poses first test of Britain’s efforts to prevent winter power cuts

Britain Europe National Grid Electricity France
Christmas lights in London's Oxford Street
With a looming cold snap Britain’s policymakers and energy executives are facing concerns about keeping the lights on. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA

As the first big snowfall of winter threatens to drop this week, it’s not only the forecasters and road gritters who will be twitchy: Britain’s energy executives and policymakers are on tenterhooks.

Many Britons who have held off putting on the heating, afraid of the bulging bills that could follow, may be forced to nudge the thermostat up, putting a strain on the country’s power supplies. National Grid has warned that a confluence of scenarios including a cold snap and a cut-off of Russian gas to Europe could lead to power cuts. Is this the first piece of that grim jigsaw?

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