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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Pippa Crerar political editor Alex Lawson

Government tests energy blackout emergency plans as supply fears grow

Electricity pylons silhouetted at sunset in Radley, Oxfordshire
Concerns over the impact of an energy blackout have grown since the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Photograph: Jon Bower/Alamy

The government has “war gamed” emergency plans to cope with energy blackouts lasting up to seven days in the event of a national power outage amid growing fears over security of supply this winter.

The Guardian has seen documents, marked “official sensitive”, which warn that in a “reasonable worst-case scenario” all sectors including transport, food and water supply, communications and energy could be “severely disrupted” for up to a week.

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