The National Grid is warning families to prepare for evening blackouts during the winter months if gas imports are reduced by "really cold" days. Blackouts could happen between 4pm and 7pm on weekdays if the weather becomes so cold that it starts to eat away at the country's gas supplies.
John Pettigrew, the National Grid chief, told the Financial Times's Energy Transition Summit the power cuts would happen if electricity generators did not have enough gas to meet demand. This warning followed previous statements from the National Grid regarding the increased risk of gas shortages, but this is the first time there has been explicit discussions about when blackouts could occur, reports Hull Live.
According to Sky News, Britain gets 40% of its electricity from gas-fired power stations and gas heats the vast majority of homes. There are fears that extreme cold weather would put a large strain on national electricity supplies.
Many European countries face gas shortages this winter due to Russia's war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russian gas imports. Whilst the UK does not import gas from Russia, it imports gas and electricity from European countries that rely on Russian gas.
The Government has been taking steps to prevent blackouts, such as putting coal-fired power stations on standby instead of closing them and creating a service to reward consumers for not using power during peak times.
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