Welcome to the Third World! Emergency Blackout Rules Expose the True Cost of Britain’s Renewables Gamble

Britain’s grid is starting to look more like the Third World

Two news items this week are a stark warning that our electricity grid will soon be little better than third world countries.

On Monday, the Telegraph reported:

Emergency power cuts could be imposed on millions of households at short notice to avoid nationwide blackouts, under new rules introduced by grid bosses.

Measures that came into effect this week give the National Energy System Operator (NESO) the authority to tackle electricity shortages with rolling power cuts around the country.

Each area would have its power switched off for three hours at a time. NESO would have to give just eight hours’ notice to use the so-called demand control rotation protocol.

The new measures, first reported by the Guardian, are designed to bridge a gap between NESO’s current emergency powers and rolling-blackout plans that require government approval.

Currently, the UK’s electricity supply emergency code, a national plan of energy rationing, can only be triggered by ministers and requires emergency legislation.

It is intended for prolonged national crises lasting more than 24 hours.

NESO, meanwhile, has the ability to disconnect up to 20% of power at five minutes’ notice in the face of imminent system collapse, such as the nationwide shutdown seen in Spain in 2025.

Under the updated rules, NESO can activate rolling local blackouts without political approval.

Make no mistake – this is not just administrative box-ticking. NESO is effectively admitting that blackouts are now a real possibility and will soon become a regular occurrence.

And little wonder. The insane, ever-increasing reliance on intermittent and uncontrollable wind and solar power is a grid operator’s worst nightmare.

In winter months, solar power is inconsequential, while a long, windless period – the dunkelflaute – will leave us hopelessly short of electricity supply. In summer months, we have the worst of both worlds: more solar power at midday than we can possibly use, but none at all when the sun goes down and the air conditioning comes on.