Explainer-in-brief: Blackouts? What blackouts?
Liz Truss was in Prague yesterday telling European leaders they’ll need to help to keep lights on across the continent this winter. This came as the National Grid warned that we could be faced with rolling blackouts if we don’t import enough energy.
How have we come to this? Go back to a year ago, and Kwasi Kwarteng – back then Business Secretary – was reassuring us that there was “no question” of lights going out. And that was in the middle of the energy crisis, with some energy firms going bust.
Now though, we have the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the cuts in its supply of gas to Europe. To make matters worse, France is having issues with its nuclear plants and might struggle to export.
National Grid has said it’s “unlikely” we won’t have enough gas supply, but warned of a “challenging” winter. In the worst scenario, businesses and households could see cuts of up to three hours a day.