For the first time since the three day week of the 1970's, consumers will be told to prepare for blackouts, since the supply of electricity will fail to meet demand at peak times.
Over the next few years many power stations will reach the end of their lives or will have to shut because of E.U. law. However, the Government has failed to ensure that replacements are available in time. The small print of Whitehall documents reveals that Ministers have pencilled in power cuts of 3000 Megawatt hours per year by 2017. This is the equivalent of 670,000 people being without electricity for a day - in other words an area almost the size of Suffolk (pop 715,700).
In practice the blackouts are most likely to strike at peak times - in the early evening during the winter months - hitting many more people for shorter periods when the need for electricity is greater. The expected gap of 3000 Megawatt hours could even mean a simultaneous hour-long power cut for 16 million people simultaneously on a winter evening.
Peter Aldous said: - "I am extremely concerned that homes and business in Waveney will face blackouts because the Labour Government has put its head in the sand with regards to an energy policy for a decade. Ministers have been forced to admit they expect the lights to go out for the first time since the three day week of the 1970's ".
"Conservatives will act quickly to tackle Labours energy crisis. We will increase generating capacity, improve energy efficiency by insulating peoples homes, adopt the latest green technology and make Britain's energy policy a matter of national security".
