Major power cuts across four regions have occurred as National Grid scrambles to get the lights back on for at least 300 customers. Around 190 homes in one area of Nottingham suffered a power outage in an incident that was raised with National Grid at 4:31am, according to its Live Power Cuts Map. The network operator said its engineers are working to get the power returned as quickly as possible, with electricity expected to start flowing again by 7:30am.
In other parts of the city in the East Midlands, customers across six postcodes are suffering from a blackout, with at least 114 properties affected.
The issue was reported at 5:28am and engineers started working to fix the issue just half an hour later. However, the power is not expected to be restored until 2pm today.
Meanwhile, in the southwest, at least 155 households have been left powerless in Torquay, Devon. The incident was reported at 5:52am and engineers were sent out a few minutes later at 5:58 to make to the fix.
According to National Grid, it was a “High Voltage (HV)” incident, which “tend to be larger, affecting the wider area and could mean your neighbours are off supply too”. The problem in the area is expected to be resolved by 9am.
Households in Exeter are also experiencing at active power cut, an issue which was raised at 6:36am on Saturday morning. But this is not expected to be fixed until 10am, leaving the four properties affected without electricity until then.
The outages have come as many houses have voluntarily paid to switch off their power-hungry appliances during peak hours as part of a blackout-swerving scheme to earn some extra cash.
Offered by several major energy companies, customers with smart meters that sign up for the Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) can reportedly earn up to £100 across the duration of the scheme, which is one of the network operator’s operational tools to help it balance the grid and avoid blackouts this winter.
However, it is important to note that the power cuts that affected the four UK regions in the early hours of Saturday morning were unrelated to the DFS.
The scheme was activated for the first time this week on Monday and Tuesday, with customers who signed up reportedly saving enough electricity to power 654,000 homes for an hour, according to data released by Octopus Energy, OVO and EDF.
It came as a cold snap, which led to an inevitable reliance on peak-time heating, meant supplies became “tight” earlier this week. As well as the DFS, National Grid also ordered three coal-fired power stations to be warmed up as a backup measure to keep the power flowing.
In a worst-case scenario, National Grid has warned in its Winter Outlook that households could be left without power for three-hour periods in the “deepest, darkest” nights in January and February if the UK cannot shore up enough energy imports from Europe amid freezing temperatures.
The Grid’s operational tools are in place to help it avoid this emergency plan, although it has not been able to rule out whether the three-hour rolling blackouts may at some point be needed over the next two months
The Met Office also has some advice on how to prepare for — and handle — a power cut.
It says households should keep a supply of torches and batteries on hand in the event of an emergency, and ensure that mobile phones are charged so that you can still make a calls in an emergency.
The Met Office added: “If electricity is crucial for any medical equipment you have, please contact your distribution network operator […] as they may be able to put you on their priority register for assistance during any power outage.”
It also said that people should keep fridges and freezers closed so they remain cold and that it is best to look out for any senior or vulnerable neighbours. Switching off appliances like irons, ovens, electric fires, etc is also advised so to avoid a potential hazard risk when the power is restored.
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