Cape Town – South Africa faced its biggest power test recently which led to Stage 6 load shedding – but we’re not alone. The UK now also plans to implement organised power cuts.
The UK’s power crisis stems from a combined gas shortage as well as the cold weather which could lead to an electricity capacity shortfall of about a sixth of its peak demand.
Bloomberg News reported that the UK might need to trigger its emergency measures by January to conserve gas, following reduced electricity imports from France and Norway.
Furthermore, analysts acknowledge the challenge ahead for the two candidates, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, vying to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister.
And, in the midst of the Russia-Ukraine conflict which has affected supplies to mainland Europe, Britain could cut off its gas supplies to Belgium and the Netherlands.
According to the “Guardian”, if the UK initiated its emergency measures, it would mean the shutting off of the gas pipelines as part of its four-step plan which would include cutting supply to big industrial users and asking households to reduce consumption.
“The interconnectors play an important role in European energy security, allowing LNG volumes landed in the UK to be transported into European storage in the summer that provide a buffer for volumes to be sent back to the UK where storage is limited, through the winter months,” said Investec analyst Nathan Piper.
Meanwhile, a UK government spokesperson said it was confident in the security of the country’s supply over winter, with the UK having one of the most reliable and diverse energy systems in the world.
“In the extremely unlikely event of a supply emergency, National Grid Gas have long-standing emergency procedures in place to protect the integrity of Britain’s gas network,” said the spokesperson.
“All countries have such plans and there is absolutely nothing to suggest that these emergency procedures would be needed now.
“Our priority is to continue working together with our EU partners and allies to end reliance on Russian oil and gas.”
IOL