UK’s energy crisis response could include winter power cuts

theguardian.com:

Businesses and even consumers could face blackouts this winter under government crisis plans as concerns grow over power supplies, it has emerged.

Under the government’s latest “reasonable worst case scenario”, officials believe the UK could experience blackouts for several days in January if cold weather combines with gas shortages to leave the country short of power.

Concerns are mounting over the toll on households this winter as new forecasts showed annual energy bills are forecast to top £4,200 from January, triggering a warning that Britons face “serious hardship on a massive scale” without government intervention.

The deepening energy crisis has piled further pressure on the Tory leadership candidates, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, who are split on how to support households struggling with the rising cost of living.

Under the forecasts, which government sources insist are highly unlikely to materialise, the power shortfall could total about a sixth of peak demand even if emergency plans to fire up retiring coal power plants are enacted, Bloomberg reported.

In that scenario, a reduction of electricity imports from Norway and France, combined with low temperatures, would force the government to enact emergency measures to conserve gas for four days in January.

Under the plan the network operator would initially override commercial agreements to direct flows of gas on the system. After that, supplies to gas-fired power stations would be halted, leading to power cuts for businesses and homes.

Rail services could even be hit if electricity is rationed, because the railway is one of the biggest industrial users of power, sources said.

Officials are concerned that the UK may have to rely more heavily on piped gas shipments from