British factories are being offered money to reduce the amount of power they are using in the energy crisis.
Emergency plans are underway to pay companies to lower their gas usage every winter until 2025.
The National Grid recommends making payments of up to £5million this winter for those that lower production if the gas crisis worsens due to the war in Ukraine.
Factory owners face strict gas rationing if they do not make bids for the so-called Demand Side Response (DSR) payments.
The scheme is an attempt to avoid uncontrolled blackouts that would have a "major economic" hit on society, according to a report by The Telegraph.
A National Grid spokesperson commented in a draft report: "The gas supply picture is different for this winter, given the current uncertainty about whether sufficient Russian gas will be available to supply continental Europe, which may have consequences for Great Britain's ability to attract gas if needed via the interconnectors at high demand conditions.
"We therefore believe that there is a need to incentivise the take-up of the DSR products so that the scheme can be utilised this winter if required."
The energy price cap is set to rise above £6,500 a year in April, according to the latest forecasts from Auxilione consultancy.
Meanwhile thousands of UK companies are being pushed to the brink due to spiralling energy costs, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).
The CBI has urged the government to freeze business rates for another year and take urgent action to avoid companies from going bust.
EDF managing director for customers Philippe Commaret warned on Tuesday that Britain is headed towards a “dramatic and catastrophic” energy crisis over the next few months.
He also called for a cut to VAT on energy bills.
"I think cutting VAT is really important, because with the rise in electricity and gas bills in fact the revenues for the Government are increasing so it's not fair," he told BBC Radio 4.
In addition, Scottish Power chief executive Keith Anderson told Jacob Rees-Mogg and Kwasi Kwarteng to freezing energy bills for two years at a cost of £100 billion, according to the broadcaster.
National Grid's plans aim to help prevent extreme shortages to help avert the type of severe shortages that would spark an official Gas Deficit Emergency (GDE) and compulsory supply rationing.
The report added: "The potential impact on heating capability, gas fired electricity generation, interruption to industrial production and knock-on impacts into wider supply chains that a GDE is capable of causing could result in a major economic and societal impact for the country."
Experts say the National Grid would prefer not to trigger the plans but will if necessary to avoid an emergency.
