Millions of British households could face three-hour rolling blackouts after a new electricity grid rule was quietly implemented this week. The National Energy System Operator (Neso) will reportedly be able to initiate blackouts more quickly and easily to conserve power supplies when supplies are running low.
New rule allows disconnection with eight hours' notice
The new rule, which comes into effect this week, allows the operator to call for homes and businesses to be disconnected from power with just eight hours' notice. The blackouts would last up to three hours, and rotate across the country to avoid unfairly burdening certain areas.
It is hoped the measures will prevent a total power system collapse if Britain’s supplies are too low, cutting each block’s electricity use by more than a fifth. Some vital protected sites will be exempt, such as hospitals, water treatment works and sites of national security interests.
Neso describes measure as last resort
A spokesperson for Neso told The Guardian it was a “last-resort contingency measure” that would be used in "the most extreme and unlikely circumstances". It said it would be triggered "after all other available options have been exhausted, helping protect the wider electricity system".
The Government already has emergency powers to help deal with prolonged electricity disruptions, but Neso said the new rules would allow changes to be rolled out more quickly. Neso can introduce other measures first before resorting to widespread blackouts, such as lowering the voltage of regional power grids, which would mean daily tasks such as boiling the kettle may take longer.
Concerns raised during June heatwave
The system operator raised concerns about electricity supplies twice in the last week of June due to the heatwave.
