Summer is still underway, but winter is fast approaching, and European countries are making contingency plans to avoid running out of energy, while Russia reduces the amount of gas it sends to Europe.

Based on a “reasonable worst case scenario”, the British government is already preparing for several days during the winter months where cold could combine with gas shortages, leading to “blackouts” across the country. .

Unidentified sources told Bloomberg that London expects that it is possible that the power grid will only be able to guarantee a sixth of power during peak demand, and this is already after the government has put contingency plans on the table to revitalize coal-fired power plants. .

The worst-case scenario puts it possible for the UK to suffer for four days in January 2023 a “blackout” and that it will have to activate measures to reduce gas consumption, in a context where gas is supplied from Norway and France. It also goes down. , while each country tries to secure its own reserves for the coldest months of the year.

However, the British government believes that the darkest scenario may not materialize, but does not rule out the possibility that it will eventually come to pass.

And “Bloomberg” notes that this will be a problem that must be managed by the successor to the outgoing Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, next September. Should the worst-case scenario occur, Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak would have an energy and social crisis at their hands, with the British population expressing strong dissatisfaction with the huge increase in energy costs, which could double, in the context of rising inflation and declining purchasing power.