UK Could Face Three-Hour Power Cuts This Winter

The United Kingdom could face power cuts to homes and businesses this winter if it is unable to import electricity from Europe.

This is as it struggles to attract enough gas imports to fuel its gas-fired power plants, the British National Grid has warned.

The prospect of power cuts comes as Prime Minister Liz Truss on Thursday called on Europe to keep energy exports flowing during the winter.

The Electricity System Operator (ESO) also said on Thursday; “In the unlikely event we were in this situation, it would mean that some customers could be without power for pre-defined periods during a day – generally this is assumed to be for 3 hour blocks."

The gas outlook said Britain’s ability to secure supply would depend upon its gas prices being high enough to continue to attract exports from Europe and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from countries such as Qatar and the United States.

Russia has slashed its gas supplies to Europe this year and while Russia meets only about 4 per cent of UK’s gas needs, a disruption in supply to Europe has contributed to driving up British prices and makes it harder for the UK to secure gas from others.