Liz Truss will plead with European leaders to "keep the lights on" as fears mount over blackouts and energy rationing this winter.
The embattled Prime Minister travelled to Prague today after an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to attend a meeting of a new political grouping, in a move insiders say could help renew ties with the EU after Brexit.
The National Grid is expected to present its outlook for the winter months later today, as Russia's war in Ukraine continue to stoke fears of energy shortages.
Ministers have reportedly stepped back from urging Brits to reduce their energy consumption by turning down thermostats and using appliances at times when demand is lower.
The Government has insisted the UK's energy supply is secure and Ms Truss ruled out rationing during the Tory leadership contest.
Ahead of the summit, Ms Truss called on European leaders to end to the "addiction to Russian hydrocarbons" and said allies must show Vladimir Putin he cannot "divide us in a scramble for energy supplies".
“The UK sends and receives both gas and electricity through the undersea cables and pipelines that link us with neighbours like France, Belgium and the Netherlands,” the Prime Minister wrote in The Times.
“Today we must all commit to keeping those connections open this winter so we keep the lights on across the continent.”
Former Ofgem boss Demot Nolan said that households and manufacturers could be incentivised to use less power this winter to conserve energy supply.
But he said he does not expect there to be power cuts, despite a higher risk to supply than in previous years.
Asked what the National Grid might say, Mr Nolan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "My expectation is while they will say there are risks to supply of electricity this winter, I think those risks are still quite low.
"So, to be clear, I don't think there will be power cuts. But certainly the risk is higher than it has been in previous years."
Pressed on whether big manufacturers may be asked to use less energy, he said: "I think they will be granted incentives - and this is true for big energy users but also for residential consumers as well - I think they will be offered incentives to use less power at particular points in time.
"I think those will be monetary incentives by and large. And I think that's actually quite sensible."
Meanwhile, Ms Truss will also confirm a Royal Navy spy ship, HMS Enterprise, has been dispatched to the North Sea to help protect vital undersea cables.
The survey vessel’s deployment comes after the Kremlin was accused of sabotaging the Nord Stream pipeline - which pumps gas from Russia to Germany - in the Baltic Sea.
The allegedly deliberate damage sent methane spewing into the water.
Highlighting the conflict in Ukraine, Ms Truss will tell leaders in the Czech Republic: “Europe is facing its biggest crisis since the Second World War, and we have faced it together with unity and resolve.
“We must continue to stand firm - to ensure that Ukraine wins this war, but also to deal with the strategic challenges that it has exposed.”
The PM will insist that Europe needs to “learn the lessons” of the war.
“The threat was left to fester for far too long. Now, at last, we are tackling Putin’s aggression head on - and we should take the same approach with other challenges before us, including longstanding regional issues like energy and migration,” she will say.
“Instead of the old approach which merely dealt with the symptoms, it’s time to address the fundamental causes.”
The European Political Community meeting includes leaders from EU and non-EU states, such as Turkey, Ukraine, Switzerland, Western Balkans countries, Norway and Georgia.
Ms Truss is also due to hold talks with Mr Macron on the sidelines of the summit.
Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: "For too long the Conservatives have isolated Britain from its neighbours in Europe through petty insults and threats to break international law.
“It is in the national interest for Liz Truss to abandon this juvenile approach to relations with our European allies and partners."
