UK facing tightest winter energy crunch in eight years

Britain is facing its biggest ever blackout threat this winter after the National Grid revealed its power reserve supplies are wafer-thin.

The sort of bad weather seen once every 20 years could result in the grid failing to meet the "basic reserve requirement" needed to run the system.

If that happened, it would be forced to adopt contingencies such as paying factories to shut down and supplying reserves from mothballed power stations.

In its annual Winter Outlook report, National Grid said gas supplies were well ahead of expected peak demand but warned of the uncertain impact of tensions if Russia cut off supplies to Europe.

The lack of power reserves has not been helped by the closing down of two EDF power plants amid safety fears and a fire at the Didcot B plant earlier this week. Another power station in Barking is also due for closure shortly.

National Grid's director of market operation Cordi O'Hara, said: "As system operator, we have taken the sensible precaution to secure additional tools to bolster our response to tighter margins."