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British Prime Minister Liz Truss has vowed on the campaign trail to keep the lights on, but the war in Ukraine has exposed the risk of severe power shortages. Photo by Hugo Philpot/UPI | License photo
October 6 (UPI) – The UK grid operator said on Thursday that customers could experience short-term power outages in winter if gas volumes are severely limited, but added that was unlikely.
The West’s sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine in February targeted exports of key commodities such as crude oil and natural gas. The Kremlin responded with threats to cut off supplies to the region.
National Grid, which maintains Britain’s power supply, said the invasion of Ukraine had upended global energy markets and if the Kremlin tightened supply further, it would mean short-term power outages for the coming winter heating season.
However, grid operators stress that this is unlikely, with base case estimates suggesting few problems during the winter months.However, due to the recent Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to be in trouble Territorial loss In Ukraine, the industry is wary of extreme situations.
“We’re heading into winter like never before,” said a senior industry insider told the Guardian“Even during the Cold War, the Soviet Union kept gas flowing, so it was very unpredictable.”
Prime Minister Liz Truss has vowed in this year’s election campaign that there will be no problems this winter, but Britain’s reliance on natural gas means future problems may be inevitable.
Industry regulator Ofgem said the UK’s electricity grid was one of the most reliable in the world, although it had decided to keep it functioning by working with the government, National Grid and other partners.
A spokesman said the government was “confident in our plans to protect households and businesses in all circumstances this winter”, According to the BBC.
As Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its seventh month, regional powers are scrambling to ensure adequate supplies for the winter.Germany, for example, said it would delay abandoning nuclear power avoid Energy emergency.
National Grid said it was looking to coal-fired power to help with any winter problems and would introduce a flexibility deal in November aimed at encouraging consumers to choose off-peak times to save energy.
Unlike EU countries, which are heavily dependent on Russia, the UK relies on reserves in the North Sea for most of its natural gas.
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