Nadhim Zahawi has claimed planned blackout this winter are “extremely unlikely” following the National Grid’s warning.
Speaking on Sunday morning, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, was repeatedly pressed on the UK’s resilience this winter amid potential shortages.
Asked on the National Grid’s warning that supply interruptions were a possibility if the energy crisis escalated, Mr Zahawi told Sky News: “What the National Grid is saying is the extremely unlikely scenario where there are issues in Europe with the interconnectors and a very cold snap, so it's extremely unlikely.
"But it's only right that we plan for every scenario.
"All I would say is we have a buffer, the same buffer as last year, and so I'm confident that come Christmas, come the cold weather, we will continue to be in that resilient place, but it's only right we have looked at every scenario."
The Cabinet minister continued by saying the Government has continued to invest in gas with production being up by 26 per cent this year.
While sure families will be able to enjoy their Christmas, Mr Zahawi said several issues would need to “align in a bad way” for the UK to suffer shortages.
In a report, the National Grid said there was an “unlikely” scenario that the UK may face energy interruptions this winter.
If these did occur, power cuts may take place at peak times or potentially between 4pm to 7pm.
Asked on the potential of blackout on Thursday, Ms Truss said: “What we're clear about is that we do have a good supply of energy in the UK, we're in a much better position than many other countries, but of course there's always more we can do and that's why I'm here working with our partners making sure we do have a secure energy supply into the future.”
Although the UK does not receive much gas from Russia, any further developments in Europe’s supplies may have knock on effects for Britain, the National Grid said.
In the other two scenarios, the operator hopes that by paying people to charge their electric cars at off-peak times and firing up backup coal plants it can offset the risk of blackouts.
