Following the National Grid’s warning that households could lose power for up to three hours at a time across the UK this winter, Lane Clark & Peacock (LCP), the professional advisory firm, have provided their response, highlighting that the UK’s supply of electricity over winter could be far worse than these latest estimates.
Chris Matson, Partner at LCP, commented: “In line with National Grid’s latest report looking ahead to the winter, our recent analysis also found that, without imports from Europe, we could expect ten hours this winter where demand in the UK will exceed available electricity supply. With coal fired power stations already on standby to step in when needed, even this may not be enough, meaning the upcoming launch of a scheme to incentivise businesses and households to reduce their electricity use at key times will be critical and as yet unproven.
“It is notable National Grid’s worst case scenario in this latest forecast estimates households could lose power for up to three hours at a time this winter, and our own study did outline the very high possibility of power cuts this winter. Since these forecasts were published, the energy crisis on the continent continues, and uncertainty remains about the UK’s interconnector supply from Europe through the winter. Notably, our study suggested that either a cold winter or low wind output could see many more hours where supply of electricity is insufficient and the likelihood of an emergency situation increases.”
