Truss Grilled Over Prospect of Winter Blackouts in UK

On Monday, the UK energy regulator Ofgem warned that there was a “significant risk” of gas shortages in the country this winter. The regulator added that although Britain had one of the most reliable power systems in the world, it was “responsible and prudent” for the energy sector “to ensure the right contingency measures are in place.”

The government of Liz Truss has been under fire after the UK prime minister refused to rule out blackouts this winter following a warning by the National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) that parts of Britain could be without power for at least three hours on a daily basis under the company’s “worst case” scenario.

Referring to the ESO’s blackout warning issued on Thursday, Shadow Climate Secretary Ed Miliband said that the document shows the UK’s “vulnerability as a country as a direct consequence of a decade of failed Conservative energy policy.”

“Banning onshore wind, slashing investment in energy efficiency, stalling nuclear and closing gas storage have led to higher bills and reliance on gas imports, leaving us more exposed to the impact of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's use of energy as a geopolitical weapon,” Miliband argued, adding, “Yet still the Conservatives fail to learn the lessons.”

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, for his part, urged No 10 to convene the emergency Cobra committee so as to grapple with the possibility of blackouts.

He said that “a failure to act now could see millions plunged into rolling blackouts whilst petrol and heating oil prices spiral even further out of control.”

The prospect of blackouts also alarmed the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), with its unnamed source cited by the Daily Mail as saying that “the cold weather can bring increased respiratory problems and falls, often affecting the most vulnerable people, including those who can't keep their homes warm.”

The source added that “power cuts would only make matters worse, adding to pressures on the NHS at a time when it is already severely stretched.”

This was echoed by UK health groups who warned that the potential blackouts pose a risk to the thousands of adults and children whose care is dependent on live-saving machines.

Andy Fletcher, the chief executive of Together for Short Lives, told the Guardian that “for seriously ill children a three-hour blackout could deprive them of vital life-saving equipment such as ventilators, oxygen and temperature control.” According to him, “Families would be forced to decide whether to admit their child to hospital, which would be extremely disruptive and distressing.”

The view was shared by Laurie Cuthbert, a director of Kidney Care UK, who cautioned that any power supply pauses would endanger the thousands of people relying on at-home dialysis machines.

“This is very energy intensive […] as for some people this treatment takes place several times every day for shorter periods, and for some this takes place every day, or overnight, for up to eight to 10 hours a time. Any interruption to the power supply would put the treatment itself at risk, and if people on dialysis miss too many sessions in a row then their lives will be at risk.”

Separately, some lashed out at the ESO’s scheme that stipulates UK households should sign up with a “demand flexibility service” that rewards them for using off-peak electricity. The scheme depends on smart meters that automatically send readings to suppliers.

Joe Malinowski, founder of price comparison service The Energy Shop, told the Daily Mail that “Generally time-of-use tariffs are a good idea but there are serious questions to be asked around the logistics and whether smart meters are equipped to measure energy usage accurately. We know there are problems – my own meter is not feeding data accurately back to my account.”

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith in turn called for a rethink of the scheme, saying, “It seems cynical to me that only people with smart meters can benefit. If they are going to do it, they need to find a way to give the other 50 percent or so of people who haven't got them a shot at it as well.”

The similar tone was struck by Nick Hunne, of tech consultancy firm Wifore, who stressed that the issue is that “only around half of households across the country have smart meters.”

“So how can you roll out a scheme which only benefits the people who were able to get a meter first. It feels like this idea has come from somebody in government who was itching to do something and rolled out a scheme without thinking about any of the consequences,” he added.

The remarks came after PM Truss argued that the UK has "good energy supplies" and "can get through the winter," but stopped short of explicitly offering a guarantee of British households facing no blackouts over the next several months.

National Grid Issues 'Winter Outlook' Survey

The PM's statement followed the ESO releasing its “winter outlook” report, which specifically detailed the scenario that a potential shortage of gas could mean “planned interruptions of electricity supply to businesses and households.”

Under the scenario, customers located in some areas of the UK would be warned in advance of the three-hour blackouts, which are likely to take place in the morning peak or between 4pm and 7pm. Any blackouts are due to be approved by King Charles III and the government before they go ahead.

The ESO’s report was released a few months after the Guardian reported No 10’s so-called “reasonable worst case scenario”, which envisages that Britain could experience blackouts for several days in January if cold weather combines with gas shortages. The scenario also reportedly stipulates that the power shortfall could total about a sixth of peak demand, even if emergency plans to fire up retiring coal power plants are enacted.

The developments come as the UK goes through the fallout of Western sanctions, which were slapped on Russia due to its ongoing special operation to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine. Inflation rates in the UK previously reached a 40-year high at 9.4%, which was driven by record prices for gasoline and diesel, as well as the soaring cost of food, clothing and furniture in the country.

UK ministers earlier warned that the “severe sanctions” that Western countries had slapped on Russia would have a knock-on effect on the cost of living in Britain.