Ministers rule out energy-saving campaign despite UK blackout warnings

It added that the campaign was seen as a “soft touch” and included measures aimed at helping people save up to £300 a year, including lowering the temperature of boilers, switching off radiators in empty rooms and advising people to turn off the heating when they are leaving outside.

The newspaper quoted a government source as describing the campaign as “unwise” and saying No 10 had made a “stupid decision”, but added that Ms Truss was “ideologically opposed” to the approach as it could be too interventionist.

Today we published our 2022/23 #WinterOutlook determining how we will govern #electricity networks this winter https://t.co/v9sZ2sUdBP

— ESO National Grid (@NationalGridESO) October 6, 2022

A government source contacted by the PA news agency said they did not deny the report contained in the Times.

Asked to comment on the report, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy issued a statement on behalf of the government, insisting ministers were not launching the campaign and “any claims otherwise are untrue”.

Earlier, the Prime Minister, Ms Truss, sought to play down concerns, although she clearly failed to do so offering a no blackout guarantee.

Her comments came in response to a report by the body that oversees the UK’s electricity grid.

In what it described as an “unlikely” scenario, the National Grid Operator (ESO) said households and businesses could face planned three-hour outages to ensure the grid does not collapse.

PA

A government spokesman said: “The UK has a secure and diverse energy system.

“We have plans to protect households and businesses across the spectrum of scenarios this winter in light of Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.

“To further strengthen this position, we have developed plans to secure provision and National Grid, working together with energy suppliers and Ofgem, will launch a voluntary service to reward users who reduce peak demand.

“We will continue to work internationally to tackle rising energy prices and ensure security of supply, but there are currently no plans to comply with the EU decision.

“However, ministers are not launching an information campaign and any claims to the contrary are untrue.”

National Grid is warning of potential blackouts in the UK

The first planned blackouts in decades could hit parts of the country if power plants can’t get enough gas to keep them running, National Grid has warned.

Households are being urged to help avoid blackouts by using more energy during off-peak times.

In an “unlikely” scenario of planned blackouts, the National Grid Operator (ESO) said households and businesses could face three-hour blackouts to prevent the grid from collapsing.

It’s the worst of three possible scenarios the ESO laid out on Thursday for how Britain’s electricity grid could cope with the worst global energy crisis in decades.

In the other two scenarios, the operator hopes that by paying people to charge their EVs during off-peak hours and running back-up coal-fired power stations, it can offset the risk of blackouts.

Reserves between peak demand and energy supply are expected to be adequate and similar to recent years in the National Electricity Network Operator’s (ESO) baseline scenario for this winter.

But in the face of a “difficult” winter for energy supplies to Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the grid operator is also planning what will happen if there are no electricity imports from Europe.