Millions of households and businesses across Great Britain could face rotating power cuts on short notice under new rules that took effect this week, designed to prevent widespread blackouts during periods of low electricity supply.
The changes to grid codes, which govern the country’s transmission system, were approved by the industry regulator late last month. Under the new protocol, the National Energy System Operator (Neso) can order rolling three-hour blackouts across designated areas with only eight hours’ notice, disconnecting enough homes and businesses to reduce electricity consumption by more than a fifth in each region. This represents the first time the system operator can implement large-scale power cuts to stabilize the grid without requiring emergency government powers.
Neso characterized the measure as a “last-resort contingency” to be deployed only in “the most extreme and unlikely circumstances” after exhausting all other options. The new rules serve as a middle ground between the operator’s existing powers, unused since the 1970s, and the government’s broader emergency code, which has never been invoked and can only be activated by the energy secretary. According to the regulator Ofgem, the government’s code is poorly suited for rapid deployment but could trigger blackouts affecting 90 percent of electricity users during prolonged disruptions.
The new protocol addresses growing concerns about short-term supply imbalances that are difficult to predict in advance. Designated “protected sites” including hospitals, water treatment facilities, and national security installations would be exempted from planned power cuts. These measures complement other tools available to manage supply shortfalls, such as disconnecting large industrial users and reducing regional voltage levels to decrease overall power consumption.
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