Electricity blackouts this winter – what you need to know
Electricity blackouts are still rated as unlikely by National Grid, which is great news, but it makes sense to anticipate when they could be likely and be prepared for the eventuality that they do occur. This may be a good time to review any contingency and business continuity/recovery plans to ensure they cover such situations.
The most likely scenario driving an outage is a period of low wind generation, a prolonged period of cold weather and issues with either supply of gas from Norway or supply of electricity from France. All electricity generators would be asked to maximise production – even backup plant – to minimise the potential risk to consumers.
Keeping an eye on weather forecasts will help to anticipate any cold snaps and calm windless weather which may overburden the power grid. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/long-range-forecast.
In the first instance any blackout is likely to take place during periods of highest demand – typically 4-7pm on weekdays in January and February. In the event of a major infrastructure failure e.g. of electricity interconnectors from Europe or gas import pipelines there could be longer outages or supply restrictions.
The actions that organisations could consider will vary depending on nature of the organisation but some general advice for all organisations is as follows:The actions that organisations could consider will vary depending on nature of the organisation but some general advice for all organisations is as follows:
- Ensure employees are aware of what they should do if there is a power outage – in general regarding working arrangements and specifically if they have responsibilities that will be affected by the outage.
- Contingency or continuity plans should be printed off and people made aware where the copies are stored as in the event of a power failure, documents may not be available online.
- Be mindful of likely 4-7pm timing and any major impacts on business or organisations if power fails in this time period? E.g. manufacturing company making a product batch which could be ruined if power fails. Can work be scheduled during other times?
- Ensure that any backup power supplies e.g. uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) or generators are serviced/well maintained and test operation if possible. Ensure that fuel supply for backup generator is full.
- Ensure that key portable equipment such as mobile phones, laptops and power banks are kept fully charged.
- Consider the impact of no internet service. Can any work be carried out offline and how can you prepare?
- Any auto restart equipment – be aware this will restart when power restored and be aware of any safety risk. Some equipment may not auto restart and will need to be restarted manually.
- Cold storage – minimise access while power is out to avoid warming.
- As utility companies work to restore power, the whole grid can become unstable which leads to power surges. These surges can destroy electronic equipment so unplugging and switch off electronic equipment during a blackout is a sensible precaution.
For more information:
Government tests energy blackout emergency plans as supply fears grow | National Grid | The Guardian
If you need any help with your preparations, please do let us know. Call us on 0800 6127 567 or email info@jrpsolutions.com.