Britain could face up to three hours of power cuts a day this winter due to gas shortages, the country’s power grid operator, the National Grid Electricity System Operator, said on Thursday.
In a statement, the company said this was an unlikely scenario, although it warned that supply disruptions were possible if the current energy crisis worsened.
The company pointed out that there will be any disruptions during peak consumption hours, morning or afternoon, and consumers will be warned in advance.
However, the agency also emphasized that in principle, families are not expected to face problems.
The company also announced that it will launch an incentive program for companies and households on November 1.
The UK relies heavily on gas to generate electricity. Gas-fired power plants generate more than 40% of the country’s electricity. Electricity is also imported from mainland Europe.
National Grid, which manages the grid in England, Scotland and Wales, admitted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had created “unprecedented turbulence and instability” in energy markets and that many European countries had to look for alternative supplies.
Although the UK is much less dependent on Russian gas than mainland Europe, it could still suffer from the effects of shortages on the continent.
The report released today maintains the expectation that there will be enough gas to supply the country with electricity levels similar to previous winters, and takes into account other scenarios that may arise.
For example, the worst energy crisis in Europe has left the country with insufficient gas to supply, forcing distributors to cut off supplies to homes and businesses for three hours a day.
In this more extreme case, customers will be notified, which can happen between 4:00pm and 7:00pm local time (the same time in Lisbon) and will be rotated between different parts of the country.
“In the unlikely event that we find ourselves in such a situation, some customers may be without power for three-hour blocks during the day,” National Grid reports.
The British company’s warnings echo those of the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA), which said in its quarterly report published on Monday that EU members should cut their consumption by up to 13%. Total suspension of supply from the Russian Federation.
The European Union decided on Friday to cut electricity consumption by 5 percent during peak hours in anticipation of a drop in natural gas imports from Russia.
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