Energy regulator Ofgem warned that power outages could hit the country within two years unless the industry and government formulate a coherent strategy.
Its latest report said that capacity margins — the difference between what is needed to meet peak demand and what the country actually has available — could tighten to between two and five percent in 2015-16 depending on demand.
It is currently at around 20 percent.
“The report shows that electricity supplies are set to tighten faster than previously expected in the middle of this decade,” it said.
“The risk to electricity supplies is projected to increase from the current near zero levels, although Ofgem does not consider disruption to supplies is imminent or likely, providing the industry manages the problem effectively.”
It added that the report “illustrates the need for the timely implementation of the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s capacity market”.
Energy Minister Michael Fallon assured Britons that “the lights are not going to go out.”
“The latest assessment has shown that the position is slightly worse than the previous assessment last year and they have got to make sure, the regulator Ofgem, has got to make sure, with all the tools at its disposal, bringing some mothball plants back in action, it has got to make sure that the lights stay on and they will,” he told BBC’s Newsnight programme.
Regulator issues power-shortage warning
