An emergency blackout plan could potentially be brought in from tomorrow which would see people paid to switch off their power in the evenings. The emergency plans would help Britain's grid operator avoid a disastrous blackout tomorrow as there are issues with supplies due to the French energy grid.
For the first time ever on Tuesday, the National Grid's electricity systems operator may activate a live run of demand flexibility service. The scheme has been running since the start of November and has been tested twice but has not yet had a live test or event.
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National Grid's electricity systems operator division said it is considering whether to activate a live run of its demand flexibility service for the first time on Tuesday. Downing Street has stated blackouts have not been discussed but confirmed ministers are preparing for all eventualities".
The National Grid is thought to be making a decision by 2.30pm on Monday, November 28 as to what they will do. If they decide to go ahead, homes and suppliers will be notified.
A spokesperson for National Grid ESO told The Mirror: "What has happened is that the ESO has issued an indicative notice on BMRS to alert demand flexibility service providers that we may issue a requirement at 2:30pm for the use of DFS tomorrow night.
"We’re still assessing what requirement we might need, so it’s still possible that we will issue a requirement for 0MW at 2:30pm that will stand down the use of the DFS tomorrow night."
The National Grid issued a warning to households that this could become a reality earlier this year, stating that blackouts could happen around the winter peaks as the weather drops.
John Pettigrew, National Grid's CEO, said this was a "worst-case scenario" and that government has been creating emergency plans to help people cope. These could last up to seven days if a national power outage was to take place and concerns grow over access to supplies.
The government is stress-testing Programme Yarrow which is a plan aimed at helping power outrages. Although, the plan pre-dates the energy crisis as it was created in 2021 to help the National Grid cope if there was an emergency.
