Emergency power cuts

National Grid ESO is responsible for balancing the energy market ensuring that there is always enough generation to meet the customer demand. Their ‘winter outlook’ report raised the possibility of planned national power cuts, or Power Sharing, to manage the possibility of energy demand outstripping the supply available.

Procedures for emergency planned power cuts like this have existed for decades and are simulated in emergency exercises by the energy sector each year.

While this winter is expected to be challenging, there are currently no power cuts planned. 

Before any emergency planned power cuts happen, National Grid ESO takes several steps to protect customers. These include:

• Encouraging additional generation through the supply market.
• Asking heavy industrial users to limit their demand during peak periods.
• Reducing domestic power demand – this could include paying customers to change how and when they use appliances like washing machines and dishwashers or reducing voltage across the country by a small percentage, which would be undetectable.

Here are some important precautions you can take:

Visit our Power cut help and advice pages where you'll find more useful information.

If power sharing happens, certain parts of the country could lose power without prior notice, or a rota-based Power Sharing system could start to ensure the power is shared fairly across all customers during a national emergency. As the network operator for London, the East and South East, we would be legally instructed by National Grid ESO, to disconnect power supplies using established procedures set out by the government in the Electricity Supply Emergency Code [gov.uk]. We might not get much notice and may have to implement these immediately.

If we are required to turn off power on a rota system, see www.powercut105.com for your block letter (and rota when published).

The national procedure sets out 'protected sites' which the government exempt from emergency planned power cuts. It does not protect vulnerable customers from the power cut. Customers who are medically dependent on electricity often have backup power sources to keep vital equipment powered for several hours during a power failure, and should seek advice from their their medical equipment provider now and if they are having difficulty, they should contact their healthcare provider.

If Power Sharing is needed you will be able to find the rota and what it means for you at www.powercut105.com by entering your postcode. This will show your ‘block letter’ and when you will lose electricity. You can check your block letter now, but the rota will only be published once emergency power cuts have been approved to take place.

For more information on how Power Sharing could work, please visit the Energy Networks Association's (ENA's) website - How planned power cuts could work this winter.