MPs have warned about a ‘growing risk of blackouts’ over the winter (Image: Getty)
Britain is at “growing risk of blackouts” after the grid operator paid nearly £50million in one day to keep the lights on, MPs said. National Energy System Operator (NESO) forked out a record £49million of billpayer cash in so-called “balancing costs” on Wednesday.
It paid £39.4million the previous day to keep the grid stable, provisional figures showed. Most of the money was spent on extra gas power plants in England when wind turbines in Scotland had to be switched off because the electricity could not be transported south.
Shadow Energy Secretary Andrew Bowie said: “Labour’s net zero obsession has sent energy prices soaring and left our country exposed to global shocks. Now we face the growing risk of blackouts over the winter. Andy Burnham’s dithering and delaying over the Jackdaw and Rosebank oil and gas fields has compounded the problem, with Labour neglecting the resources in front of us for fear of offending their own left flank.”
NESO, which is the body responsible for keeping Britain’s lights on, was this week forced to issue rare formal requests for “emergency assistance” from the continent. The most recent plea issued on Monday evening was the grid’s largest on record, and power was supplied by France.
Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice said: “Unfortunately, thanks to Britain’s ruinous energy policy over the past decade, the prospect of a return to blackout Britain this winter is back. And it’s all down to, you guessed it, the Government’s dogmatic pursuit of net zero.”
He added: “Believe me, the blackout threat is real … on top of the global humiliation Britain would suffer from power outages, the economic consequences would be disastrous.
“Financial markets would be disrupted. Billions would be squandered in lost output, spoilt inventory and emergency response expenses. Worse, there is the potential for widespread looting and civil unrest.
“Meanwhile, hospitals would be forced to rely upon back-up generators and battery banks. Make no mistake, should blackouts occur this winter, people will die as a direct result. All this is, of course, entirely avoidable.”
NESO bosses are under growing pressure following an incident during June’s heatwave that led whistleblowers to allege a near-blackout was being covered up.
Balancing costs hit a record £505million in September, figures from energy consultancy LCP Delta showed.
The soaring prices have been blamed on the slow construction of new pylons and power lines, preventing energy from being moved around the country easily.
Labour MP Bill Esterson, chairman of the Energy Security and Net Zero Select Committee, said: “We have not had a nationally significant energy outage in over 20 years in the UK, and the select committee has consistently heard that when there are global fuel shortages it is less developed countries that get the blackouts, while in the UK we get higher prices. Reducing prices is of course one of the key reasons the transition to clean, home-grown energy remains so essential.”
It comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to make an imminent decision on whether to approve the Jackdaw North Sea gas field. Opposition parties have long called for the Prime Minister to give it the green light to ease cost of living concerns.
Get the latest politics news straight to your phone Join us on WhatsApp
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Jess Ralston, head of energy at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said: “There is no route back to some imagined era of oil and gas self-sufficiency. The North Sea is running out regardless of government policy on new drilling – by the industry’s own estimates, the basin has already produced around 90% of its recoverable reserves.
“More drilling cannot reverse that long-term decline. Those calling to slow down the shift to net zero, which essentially means being less reliant on burning oil and gas, are essentially calling for continued exposure to not only volatile prices, but whatever Putin and Trump decide to do next.”
A NESO spokesman said: “There is no increased risk of electricity blackouts this winter and frequency remained within statutory limits this week. We continuously balance electricity supply and demand, using established operational tools as system conditions change, and Great Britain’s electricity supplies remain secure.”
The Government has been contacted for comment.
UK Electricity Blackout Risk Spikes as Britain Seeks ‘Emergency Assistance’ from France
Britain’s electricity system has come under renewed scrutiny after the national grid operator requested emergency assistance from France to help maintain the security of power supplies. The move has raised questions about the resilience of the UK’s energy infrastructure, the rising cost of balancing electricity demand and supply, and the challenges facing the country as it prepares for winter.
The National Energy System Operator (NESO), responsible for balancing electricity across Great Britain, requested up to 1,200 megawatts of additional electricity through the interconnector linking Britain and France. The request followed a delay in returning an important transmission asset to service, which reduced the amount of electricity that could be moved through parts of the network.
Although the request attracted considerable attention, the operator stressed that electricity supplies remained secure and customers did not experience an interruption. Emergency assistance is an established mechanism used by grid operators when additional flexibility is needed to maintain system stability.
Nevertheless, the incident has intensified concerns about Britain’s ability to manage periods of pressure on its electricity network, particularly when transmission constraints, unexpected equipment outages and changing weather conditions occur at the same time.
For households already struggling with high energy costs, the developments raise another important question: how can Britain maintain a reliable electricity supply without allowing the expense of managing the system to increase further?
Why Britain Asked France for Emergency Assistance
The request for French electricity was connected to a problem affecting the transmission network rather than a simple shortage of power generation across the country.
Britain’s electricity system relies on a combination of gas-fired power stations, nuclear generation, renewable energy, imports and other sources. Electricity must be delivered to the places where it is needed, and the transmission network must remain within strict technical limits to operate safely.
On this occasion, a transmission asset expected to return to service remained unavailable for longer than anticipated. This reduced the amount of electricity that could be transferred into parts of south-east England.
The distinction is important. Britain had not run out of electricity, but the network faced constraints that made it more difficult to move sufficient power to certain areas under the prevailing operating conditions.
NESO therefore requested emergency assistance through the electricity interconnector with France. The request initially involved 700 megawatts, before an additional 500 megawatts was required, bringing the total to 1,200 megawatts.
The episode demonstrated how electricity imports can provide an additional tool when the domestic network faces unexpected difficulties.
However, it also highlighted the importance of having reliable infrastructure at home. International interconnectors can help Britain manage periods of pressure, but their usefulness depends on the availability of capacity, the conditions in neighbouring countries and the ability of the wider European electricity system to respond.
Emergency assistance does not automatically indicate that a blackout is imminent. It is a measure designed to help operators maintain security before a problem escalates.
Even so, repeated requests can prompt legitimate questions about how often the system is relying on these measures and whether the underlying causes are being addressed.
Rising Costs Put Pressure on Energy Consumers
The emergency request came amid reports of exceptionally high costs associated with balancing Britain’s electricity system.
On one day in October, NESO’s balancing costs approached £50 million. These costs arise when the operator must take additional actions to ensure that electricity generation, demand and network constraints remain properly balanced.
One significant problem involves the geographical distribution of electricity generation.
Large amounts of wind power can be produced in Scotland and offshore, while substantial electricity demand is concentrated farther south. When transmission capacity is insufficient to transport all the available electricity to where it is needed, some wind farms may have to reduce their output.
At the same time, gas-fired power stations closer to areas of demand may need to increase generation.
This means the system can effectively pay for electricity that cannot be used in one location while paying again to generate electricity somewhere else. The process helps maintain a secure supply, but it can be expensive.
The costs of balancing the system ultimately feed into the wider costs of supplying electricity, although the precise effect on individual household bills depends on several factors.
Critics argue that the situation demonstrates the consequences of expanding renewable generation without upgrading transmission infrastructure quickly enough. They say Britain needs more investment in power lines, substations and other equipment to ensure electricity can travel efficiently across the country.
Supporters of renewable energy counter that wind and solar power can reduce exposure to volatile fossil-fuel prices, but agree that networks, storage and flexible generation must develop alongside renewable capacity.
The central issue is therefore not simply which technologies Britain should use. It is whether the entire electricity system is being developed quickly enough to support the changing mix of generation.
Blackout Fears Return to the Political Debate
The recent difficulties have renewed warnings from opposition politicians about the possibility of electricity shortages during the winter.
Such warnings have become politically sensitive because reliable energy is essential to homes, businesses, hospitals, transport networks and other critical services. A prolonged blackout could have serious economic and social consequences.
However, it is important to distinguish between a system experiencing operational pressure and a confirmed threat of widespread power cuts.
NESO has maintained that electricity supplies remained secure during the recent emergency assistance requests. The use of emergency tools shows that the operator was responding to challenging conditions, not that customers were already facing an imminent nationwide blackout.
The risk of future disruption depends on several variables, including the amount of available generation, the condition of transmission infrastructure, electricity demand, weather patterns and the availability of imported power.
Cold weather can increase demand for heating and lighting. Periods of low wind output can reduce generation from wind farms, while unexpected outages at power stations or network facilities can remove capacity at short notice.
These pressures may be manageable individually but more difficult when several occur together.
The challenge for policymakers is to ensure that the system has sufficient flexibility and reserve capacity to cope with unexpected events. That requires careful planning, reliable equipment, appropriate investment and transparent communication with the public.
Politicians should not dismiss legitimate concerns about energy security. Equally, claims that Britain is about to experience widespread blackouts should be supported by evidence rather than inferred solely from an emergency request.
Questions About Britain’s Renewable Energy Transition
Britain’s changing energy mix is at the centre of the debate.
Successive governments have sought to increase renewable electricity generation as part of efforts to reduce carbon emissions and improve long-term energy security. Offshore wind has become an important component of that strategy, and further projects are expected to contribute to the electricity supply.
Yet renewable generation presents specific operational challenges because output varies with weather conditions. Wind farms cannot necessarily generate at their maximum capacity whenever demand is highest.
This does not mean renewable electricity is inherently unreliable. It means the wider system must accommodate variations in output through a combination of transmission infrastructure, energy storage, flexible generation, interconnectors and demand management.
Gas-fired power stations can provide dispatchable electricity when needed, although their operation exposes the system to fuel prices and carbon emissions. Nuclear power offers a different source of low-carbon generation, but new facilities can take many years to construct and require substantial investment.
Battery storage can help balance short-term fluctuations, while longer-duration storage and other technologies may contribute to managing extended periods of low renewable output.
Interconnectors provide another source of flexibility by allowing electricity to move between countries. However, neighbouring countries may experience high demand or constrained supplies at the same time as Britain.
The recent request for assistance from France therefore reinforces the importance of planning for a range of conditions rather than relying on any single technology or source of electricity.
Britain’s energy transition will require a coordinated approach in which generation, transmission and system flexibility expand together.
An Investigation Raises Further Questions About Grid Management
Concerns about the electricity system have also been intensified by scrutiny of NESO’s handling of an earlier incident during the June heatwave.
An independent investigation published in October examined whistleblower allegations about the organisation’s internal culture and the handling of concerns raised by control-room engineers.
The investigation did not substantiate specific claims that senior executives improperly interfered with operational decisions or that there had been a deliberate cover-up. However, it identified significant cultural, governance and control issues.
The findings raised questions about communication between frontline engineers and senior management, staff stress levels and whether operational concerns were being heard effectively.
These matters are important because electricity system operators must make rapid decisions based on changing technical conditions. They need accurate information, clear responsibilities and a working culture in which engineers can raise concerns without fearing that doing so will damage their careers.
NESO has welcomed the investigation’s findings and said it will work to address the issues identified. The energy regulator, Ofgem, is conducting a separate investigation into whether the cultural problems affected grid security or consumer costs.
The existence of these investigations does not establish that Britain’s electricity system is unsafe. It does, however, underline the importance of ensuring that operational management is robust and that concerns about reliability are examined openly.
Public confidence depends not only on keeping electricity flowing but also on demonstrating that the organisations responsible for the system are transparent and accountable.
What This Means for Households This Winter
For consumers, the immediate concern is whether the recent incidents will lead to higher bills or interruptions to electricity supplies.
There is currently no basis for concluding that the emergency assistance requests mean widespread blackouts are inevitable. The operator has said supplies remained secure during the incidents.
However, expensive balancing actions can increase costs across the electricity system, while wider energy prices remain sensitive to international fuel markets and geopolitical developments.
Households should therefore distinguish between the risk of supply disruption and the separate problem of affordability. Britain can maintain electricity supplies while still facing high costs associated with producing and transporting power.
Businesses also have an interest in the issue. Manufacturers, shops, offices and data centres depend on reliable electricity, and uncertainty about energy costs can affect investment decisions.
The government and energy industry face pressure to improve network capacity, maintain existing infrastructure and ensure enough flexible generation is available during periods of high demand.
Accelerating infrastructure upgrades could reduce some transmission constraints, although major projects require planning, funding and construction time. The benefits may therefore take years to become fully apparent.
In the meantime, NESO must continue managing the system with the tools available, while regulators and policymakers assess whether further measures are needed.
Britain Faces a Test of Energy Resilience
The request for 1,200 megawatts of emergency assistance from France has become a focal point in a wider debate about Britain’s electricity security.
The incident exposed the practical difficulties of moving electricity through a constrained network and demonstrated the value of international connections. It also highlighted the costs that can arise when generation and transmission capacity do not align with demand.
But it did not mean Britain had run out of electricity, and the operator reported no interruption to customers.
The more significant question is whether the country can reduce the frequency and expense of emergency interventions as its electricity system evolves.
That will require investment in transmission infrastructure, careful planning for winter demand, reliable generation and stronger operational oversight. It will also require an honest assessment of how renewable energy, storage, gas, nuclear power and international interconnectors can work together.
For the government, the task is to balance decarbonisation ambitions with affordability and security of supply. For NESO, it is to operate the grid safely and communicate clearly when unusual measures are required. For consumers, the priority is straightforward: dependable electricity at a price they can afford.
Britain’s electricity system has tools to respond when conditions become difficult. The challenge now is to ensure that those tools remain a safeguard rather than becoming an increasingly expensive substitute for the infrastructure and capacity the country needs.