According to The Times, the worst-case scenario model drawn up by the ministers foresees a significant gas shortage in the coming winter season if Russia decides to further cut its supplies to the European Union (EU).
The newspaper adds that if those predictions come true, the Conservative Government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who in the wake of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine said that his country will stop importing fuels from the Eurasian nation by year-end, will be forced to ration power to six million homes.
These planned electricity blackouts would be implemented at peak times in the morning and in the afternoon, and could last for more than a month, the publication noted, according to which, the Government would have a worse contingency plan ready in case that Russia cuts off all its gas supplies to the EU, in response to the sanctions imposed by the West.
British Business Minister Kwasi Kwarteng also asked the last three coal-fired power plants in the country, which were scheduled to be shut down in September, to continue operating beyond that date.
The United Kingdom hardly imports four percent of the gas it consumes from Russia, but the ministers fear that a rise in demand in Europe halves the flow coming from Norway, one of the country’s main suppliers.
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