Power Companies Support National Grid Emergency Measure

The last resort blackout planning we mentioned last week, although an emergency measure, has received the backing of energy companies E.ON and SSE, ahead of the UK heading towards a potentially tough winter that could result in challenges to power supplies, including blackouts. With some forecasters predicting this winter to be one of the most severe ever recorded, the emergency measures certainly may not be enough to protect power supplies, putting a number of organisations at risk of losing business and even jeopardising life.

In other news, as reported by The Guardian, the National Grid has played down fears of power crunch and blackouts, with the chief executive saying that he was confident of getting through the winter without blackouts, despite the country’s energy capacity becoming increasingly stretched. On his own admission, Steve Holliday was quoted as saying that this is a tighter winter than last winter but “We have got a lot of tools in our kitbag. We are as confident as we have been in the past”. However, a number of companies and organisations throughout the UK that rely strongly on continuous, uninterruptible power supplies might not mirror this confidence as the National Grid allows the country’s spare capacity to fall to just 1.2 per cent, down from a peak of 16.8 per cent in 2011-12 and the lowest since 2005-06.

It would seem that this predicament is not going to change any time soon though. Following a number of older power stations being decommissioned, the government expected a number of new gas-fired power stations to be built, many of which did not materialise. In addition, most new capacity was provided by existing power stations, with only 5 per cent coming from a new plant.

Most organisations could protect themselves against blackouts and the worry of spare power capacity teetering around the 1 per cent mark. From complete independence from the national grid through the implementation of gas-powered combined heat and power plants, through to backup diesel generators, shentongroup also provides an emergency generator service, Power Call, that will see your organisation’s power restored within the hour.

With winter advancing, speak to a member of the shentongroup team (click here) to discuss the risks, the solutions and every option available to ensure your organisation enjoys worry-free, continuous power supplies this winter and well into 2016.