After a stark warning from the National Grid, the Prime Minister has refused to rule out the possibility of Britons experiencing blackouts this winter, despite the UK having previously been adamant it would not have to participate in energy rationing. Speaking in Prague on Thursday at the first meeting of the European Political Community, Ms Truss spoke to other European leaders about the energy crisis, insisting that Britain has a “good stock”.
The prime minister added that the UK is in a “much better position than many other countries”.
However, she expressed caution on the issue of the UK’s power outages this winter amid rising energy prices and the conflict in Ukraine.
The MP for South West Norfolk said: “What we are clear about is that we have a good energy supply in the UK, we are in a much better position than many other countries, but of course there is always more we can do.
“I’m always looking for ways we can improve the price for consumers.”
The National Grid warned yesterday that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has led to “unprecedented turmoil and volatility” in energy markets.
It added that the conflict in Ukraine could jeopardize energy imports from Europe, which would jeopardize the UK’s energy security.
The company proposed daily three-hour power cuts, which would affect different parts of the UK at different times.
The National Grid has also launched plans to pay households with smart meters over £10 a day if they reduce their energy consumption during peak hours.
Meanwhile, Downing Street has halted a £15 million public information campaign to urge households to limit energy consumption, according to The Times.
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He said, “You know they’ve talked in France about the possibility of energy rationing, can you rule out Liz Truss?”
Mrs. Truss replied, “I rule that out, yes.”
While the National Grid has said power outages are “unlikely”, it claimed they are possible even if the gas supply is not sluggish.
Cold weather coupled with a lack of European electricity imports and low wind power generation could lead to such blackouts.
It has been reported that in the event of planned power outages, the elderly and the frail are given priority along with some companies.