FOR the near 70 million people living in the UK a national power outage could plunge the country into days of chaos like never seen before.
Looters running riot on the streets, overwhelmed by untreated patients and families taking shelter could all await if the is ever felt in Britain.
Society would most likely be crippled until the power can be restored with the UK virtually sent back to the stone age due to our high reliance on electronics.
would be rendered useless, TVs would be shut off and even traffic lights would cease to function.
and would be halted in place until the systems to operate them could be restored again.
Anyone using electrical and even some gas powered devices could even be forced to go hungry or rely on simple cold dishes.
Chris Owens, Marketing Manager forRiello UPS Ltd, a power supply manufacturer, said: “Without electricity to power this digital world, our whole way of life quickly falls apart.”;
Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom, former chair of the Defence Select Committee and an advisor to theElectric Infrastructure Security Council made a similar concerning remark.
He noted: “Without electricity, modern life would grind to a halt and the complexity of modern society is such that if you take out one or two little pieces of the jigsaw, the whole thing collapses.”;
Back in 2023, Mr Owens even revealed that there is a 1-in-200 chancethat the grid will fail in the next five years, according to official government risk assessments uncovered online.
And it has now emerged that Britain’s National Energy System Operator (NESO) is in the system which were felt just hours before Spain was plunged into darkness.
Spain, along with much of Portugal, in recent days with entireand metro systems due to a mass power outage crisis.
Panic-stricken shoppers were seenclearing supermarket shelves while some hospitals even cancelled surgeries as the region faced its most severe blackout for years.
networks including railways and airports were left virtually unusable as crowds of travellers were stranded with no hope of making their final destination.
The UK has so far been widely unaffected by the severe disruptions to the south of .
But an expert has told The Sun if Britain faces a similar catastrophe then it could face much more misery and travel despair than .
Early on Tuesday morning, Spanish power company Red Eléctrica (REE) said 99.95 per cent of the .
This rapid response meant the grid was offline for less than 24 hours.
Without electricity to power this digital world, our whole way of life quickly falls apart
Chris Owens Riello UPS Ltd
NESO, formally known as the National Grid in the UK, does keep track of the grid and how it is operating with regular tests being run on the power lines to ensure its stability.
But their official plans on how long it could take Britain’s power to be completely resorted states it will take up to seven days to be back to 100 per cent.
And Iain Staffell, reader in sustainable energy at Imperial College , told The Sun the UK will face a major struggle to get the systems running smoothly again.
He said: “It is difficult getting a power system back up and running as it is technically a massive challenge.
“You’ve got this real problem of keeping supply and demand in almost perfect balance every second to keep it stable.
“And it is this very kind of delicate balancing act to get it all back online which would make it be slow.”;
Mr Staffell added: “It is a complex countrywide issue as you’d have to almost go postcode by postcode, reconnecting houses and offices.”;
Britain’s reliance on power was on full display just a month ago.
A disastrous power failure at one of the substations near Heathrow Airport caused for travellers.
Heathrow was forced to shut down with more than being affected by over 100 .
And so if the entirety of the UK was hit by an outage on a much larger scale then it would debilitate society as we know it for some time, experts fear.
24 HOURS OF CHAOS
Any major outage on British soil would have huge consequences with mobile phone coverage one of the widest sectors to be hit the most.
It would likely take only a few hours for Britain’s phone networks to completely drop as all of our devices disconnect.
connections would vanish first – just like many of us have faced during a power cut – leaving phones and TVs unsupported from any network.
A complete outage could then lead to phones losing signal and mean calls and messages don’t go through at all.
Another major issue with an electricity shutdown that could plague millions is when any devices run out of charge.
They wouldn’t be able to recharge and turn back on until the grid is up and running again.
For those who still have access to a traditional landline then they will likely work for up to five days.
Elsewhere, like card readers will stop working.
This would make paying for any key safety supplies impossible for both the shopper and the store unless they have cash.
Mr Staffell said this is one of many reasons why the UK may be seen as under prepared for a nationwide blackout.
He described society as being on a “knife edge”; due to how accustomed the British public has become to “the comforts that come from electricity”;.
The energy expert added: “I think, more so than at any time in the past, we’re now so dependent on the internet and everything.
“Think of how many shops now have a sign saying they’re cash free but if all the payment systems go down then you can’t buy stuff.
“And if you don’t have much food in your cupboards then how are you going to get more as loads of people don’t even have cash in their house because we’re so used to paying on our phones or with cards.”;
But shops could face a pair of even more worrying issues should a nationwide power outage ever take place.
Firstly, hysteria could run riot across the UK and lead to people stocking up on food, water and basic goods as they fear for the worst.
In similar scenes to at the start of the , locals could run to their nearest shops and begin to clear the shelves in panic of how long the outage could last.
This desire to stock up supplies within the first few hours of an outage would be increased when people notice their fridges and freezers turning off.
Ovens, hobs, microwaves and air fryers would all shut down at the same time – resulting in a full family meal being cooked as an uphill task.
Within hours of a major blackout, transport will also be badly affected.
It is this very kind of delicate balancing act to get it all back online which would make it be slow
Iain StaffellImperial College London
Trains, trams and planes won’t be able to move at all as they all reply on power and electricity – meaning all journeys will be cancelled.
Those unlucky passengers who were on board at the moment the grid shuts off will end up being stranded.
In Spain, on Monday with passengers forced to wait for up to 12 hours to be rescued.
The UK recorded around 1.4 billion rail passengers in 2023, according to theOffice of Rail and Road.
In the same year, Spain‘s rail network saw approximately525 million passengers, according to data fromRenfe, Spain’s national rail operator.
This could mean Brits will face travel woes on a much more worrying scale if an outage takes place.
At this point, one of the only forms of communication will be through the .
NATIONAL MELTDOWN
Another issue on the industry would be the serious threat of looting.
Shops would likely be forced to completely close down due to the lack of power within 72 hours.
They wouldn’t be able to accept card payments, operate any lights, heaters or cooling systems or even use their CCTV.
This could lead to the streets of Britain falling into disarray as people try to salvage any last goods from shops.
And with the lack of camera and surveillance systems in place, it could .
The UK was last August who committed looting and smashed up shops in scenes the government would be desperate to avoid.
Electronic tags to keep an eye on newly released or notable offenders would also be turned off.
Policing and all emergency services would also be impeded by a blackout.
Cops wouldn’t be able to operate like normal to catch any criminals meaning anarchy could run rampant.
Hospitals would also end up in a seriously worrying position.
GP surgeries, pharmacies, and hotlines would all be offline due to the lack of mobile networks.
Anyone with an issue they feel requires help would therefore have to go to A&E and to their nearest clinic to get help.
Mr Staffell believes the lack of hot, clean water and heating in many households could cause even more issues as the time it takes to restore the power increases.
He said: “There’s going to be a lot of people who would be stuck in the cold, and if you do that for more than a day you’ll start seeing people with young babies, elderly people and those who are recovering from hospital at real risk.”;
Inside the hospitals, a lack of staffing due to travel restrictions would cause key issues with treating patients.
Even for those who can be seen, a lack of medical supplies could leave them in a precarious situation with no further shipments being delivered.
Many key pieces of equipment used for surgeries and recovery may also be shut off due to a lack of electricity.
Public transport would also remain seriously hampered with cars and buses beginning to suffer as well due to petrol stations being out of action.
The mains tap water could also vanish in a matter of days meaning clean water is no longer viable.
Even when the power returns many issues will be ongoing.
Airports will have to compensate for the missed flights and a major backlog will have to be addressed by hospitals.
Shops may have to repair stores if looting has taken place and in the worst cases some people may be forced to deal with loved ones who have struggled throughout the blackout period.
While a complete blackout in the UK remains very unlikely to experts they have urged people to consider .
This would involve a number of simple things which would be useful in the case of a blackout should homes go into lockdown.
A battery powered torch and radio, non-perishable tinned foods and even some entertainment are all recommended.
