The three-hour blackouts that could be imposed to preserve energy supplies may take place on "really, really cold" winter days, National Grid has warned.
The power cuts could happen between 4pm and 7pm on weekdays if the weather becomes so cold that it starts affect the nation's gas supplies.
National Grid chief John Pettigrew spoke at the Financial Times's Energy Transition Summit on Monday, and warned that the power cuts are most likely to happen in January and February on the "deepest darkest evenings".
Planned blackouts to protect supplies are "unlikely" according to National Grid, however the company announced the possibility earlier this month.
The energy boss told the FT : "In the context of the terrible things that are going on in the Ukraine and the consequences of that, [it was] right that we set out what some of the potential risks could be."
The National Grid is also taking other measures to protect supplies, including incentivising off-peak energy use between November and March.
The utility company announced a "demand flexibility scheme" which could see UK households with smart meters receiving money back on their energy bills for reducing energy use during high demand times.
Those who opt-in would receive a text message asking them to only use electricity when there is less demand - typically after 7pm.
If these measures were to fail in protecting supplies, National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) warned that planned blackouts could hit UK homes this winter for the first time since the 1980s.
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