Europe is preparing for a winter complicated by the war in Ukraine. British homes could suffer electricity blackouts for three hours a day if this winter Vladimir Putin cuts the gas supply to the United Kingdom in the middle of a cold wave. This would be the “worst case scenario” about which you have warned National Grid, the company responsible for the electricity and gas network in the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, in France, a drastic measure has been activated to save energy due to the fear of an energy cut by Russia. Since October 15, the public electricity company you will be able to cut off the water heaters in the hours of more consumptionbetween 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
With the energy crisis hitting Europe hard, a report from the United Kingdom’s National Grid points out that three-hour blackouts is an “unlikely” but not impossible scenario and warns that supply interruptions are a actual “possibility” if the current energy crisis escalates in the coming weeks.
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Outages at peak hours
The hypothetical power outages would be in the peak hours of consumptionin the morning or between 4:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., and consumers would be notified at least 24 hours in advance.
In the event that this emergency plan has to be activated, it would have to be approved by the Secretary of Companies and Energy, Jacob Rees Moggand initialed by King Carlos III, according to TheGuardian.
The UK relies heavily on gas to produce electricity. In fact, gas power plants generate almost half of the energy consumed in the country. Part of this gas comes not only from continental Europe, but also from Russia.
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France cuts water heaters
France is also preparing for a difficult winter. From October 15th, Enedis, the public company that manages electricity distribution, may cut off hot water heaters of more than four million customers between 12:00 and 14:00 to avoid blackouts.
Enedis assures that the outages, which may not last more than two hours, will not have a real impact on customers, and that no cuts will occur for other devices electrical or electronic, such as refrigerators or televisions.
From October 15 and until at least mid-April or May, customers who have a contract that differentiates between the hours of greatest and least consumption will be affected by this measure that aims to reduce unnecessary energy use during peak hours of consumption.
This measure will affect both individuals as well as companies or public buildings have a “smart meter” for electricity.
