Energy crisis: Government department deny prospect of winter blackouts impacting Sheffield residents as concerns grow for power supplies

Under a ‘worst-case-scenario’ to conserve gas supplies this winter, it has been claimed households in Sheffield and across the UK could face four days of power blackout in January as the Government prepares for gas shortages.

Prices of energy in the UK are soaring and have created a cost-of-living crisis, with an energy price cap rise this October meaning the average bill for a UK customer could skyrocket to £3,358.

The prices of energy are soaring due to supply disruption, and UK officials are said to be preparing for extreme pressure on supply due to disruption such as the Ukraine war.

However, despite the worst-case-scenario plans, such as winter blackouts, it is ‘extremely unlikely’ that this will ever be needed as the UK is not dependent on energy imports from Russia.

A spokesperson for the Government Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy said: “This is wilfully misleading and not something we expect to happen.

“We are not dependent on Russian energy imports unlike Europe, with access to our own North Sea gas reserves, steady imports from reliable partners, the second largest LNG port infrastructure in Europe, and a gas supply underpinned by robust legal contracts, meaning households, businesses and industry can be confident they will get the electricity and gas they need.”

It appears the possibility of such measures are very unlikely to ever happen, with the UK Government confident that all households, industry and businesses in Sheffield and the UK will have access to all the energy they need this winter.