The boss of the UK's power grid operator has warned that the UK faces power cuts on “really cold” evenings this winter due to Europe's continuing energy squeeze.
National Grid chief executive John Pettigrew said the rolling switch-offs could happen during “those deepest darkest evenings in January and February”, probably between 4 to 7pm.
Speaking at an energy conference in London, Mr Pettigrew said such measures were “unlikely” but warned that there were potential scenarios where Britain's power generators would fail to secure sufficient supplies from Europe.
Britain will be particularly vulnerable in early 2023 if there is a severe weather event, such as the “Beast from the East” cold snap that hit Europe in 2018.
Europe is attempting to increase its storage of natural gas before the winter months after the invasion of Ukraine sent energy prices spiralling upwards.
The attack on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in September further exacerbated the energy crunch on the continent.
Although Britain is not as reliant on Russian gas, the country imports natural gas and electricity from the continent for its gas-fired power plants.
The energy shortfall will be even more pronounced if low wind speeds affect renewable energy sources, thus resulting in the need for more costly electricity imports from France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Mr Pettigrew said that the “base case” remained that there would be enough energy to sustain the UK through the winter.
“In the context of the terrible things that are going on in the Ukraine and the consequences of that, [it was] right that we set out what some of the potential risks could be,” he said during the event hosted by the Financial Times on Tuesday.
He also said there was a “huge amount of work” being done by energy suppliers and regulators to ensure that vulnerable customers received enough support if power cuts were imposed.
Britain's Prime Minister Liz Truss revealed earlier this month that her government was working on a plan to advise people and businesses how to “use energy more efficiently”.
Last week, UK energy regulator Ofgem urged consumers to cut their usage with winter approaching.
“All of us should be thinking about how to reduce our energy use where possible,” Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley said in a speech published on the regulator's website.
“This is not only the most direct way to reduce our bills. It directly helps with security of supply, contributes to decarbonisation and saves money for the public finances.”
Despite massive government subsidies to cap electricity bills, households still face bills twice as high as last year, he said.
“And we are heading into winter, in the middle of a major European land war where Russia is using gas as a geopolitical weapon,” he warned.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
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The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
