UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Environment Secretary Steve Reed confirmed the UK is reviewing its resilience to blackouts after power cuts in Spain and Portugal, pending investigation.
As reported by The Independent, a cabinet minister says Britain is “constantly looking at our own resilience” amid fears of blackouts following mass outages in Spain and Portugal this week.
What did Steve Reed say about UK blackout preparedness?
Steve Reed said the UK will review what triggered the blackout before taking steps to strengthen its energy network.
He stated,
“We’re constantly looking at our own at our own resilience. There’s a subcommittee of cabinet, chaired by Pat McFadden, that is doing that day in and day out.”
Mr Reed said,
“When it comes to what’s gone on in Spain and Portugal, we need to have a look at exactly what their investigation finds out, and then see what lessons we can learn from it. But it’s difficult to learn the lessons until they find out what’s caused it.”
What did Kemi Badenoch say about renewables and blackouts?
Kemi Badenoch warned that the UK’s net zero plans might trigger blackouts at home, citing “different theories” about the outages in Spain and Portugal.
She said,
“Some have said that it’s cyber terrorism, but the more likely issue is the grid – that when you have an electricity supply that’s reliant on renewables, you need a lot of battery storage.”
Ms Badenoch added,
“And quite often, what we’re seeing is renewables running ahead of the storage facilities, which means that when you have surges one way or another, you end up with blackouts. And this is one of the reasons why I’ve been saying that the net zero plans we have are not thought through.”
The Tory leader stated,
“That we’re rushing ahead without having the right infrastructure in place and actually doing things that could end up bankrupting the country or creating blackouts.”
Her comments came just a month after her party U-turned on its net zero pledge by 2050, calling it an unachievable target.
What did Number 10 say about power outages and net zero claims?
Number 10 clarified that it’s premature to confirm the cause of the power cuts and defended the government’s energy transition plans.
They said,
“In terms of the claims of reliance on net zero energy leaving countries affected vulnerable to power cuts, these are unfounded claims, and speculation at this stage.”
The spokesperson pointed out that clean energy offers security and a consistent supply of electricity that fossil fuels fail to provide.
They added,
“We’ve empowered the national energy system operator to carry out resilience functions across electricity and gas systems, and we’ll continue to work with industry and regulators to improve and maintain the resilience of old, new and future energy infrastructure.”
What did Ed Miliband say about power outages in Spain and Portugal?
Ed Miliband, Energy Secretary, urged not to jump to conclusions regarding the power outages in Spain and Portugal, revealing he had been in contact with the National Energy System Operator (Neso).
He stated that the government must closely review the ‘resilience’ of major institutions, including Heathrow.
What did Yvette Cooper say about the UK’s resilience and security plans?
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK continues its approach to resilience and security challenges.
She stated,
“We’ve been looking, as part of wider security reviews across the country, how we deal with both resilience and also different kinds of challenges and threats.”
Ms Cooper added,
“Some of which can be the traditional security challenges, some of which can be the kinds of resilience – things that we’re talking about in Spain and Portugal – and we obviously support them and the governments there in the work that they’re doing.”
Power outages in Spain and Portugal
Spain and Portugal faced major disruption on April 29 as power cuts caused traffic lights to go off and cash machines became inaccessible.
The power outage caused train disruptions and left millions of people without phone and internet access.
According to the Portuguese National Cybersecurity Centre, there is no proof that the blackout was the result of a cyberattack.
The incident comes just weeks after Heathrow Airport was forced to shut down for nearly an entire day due to a power outage caused by a substation fire. The closure of the airport lasted until around 6 pm on March 21, affecting over 270,000 air travelers.
What did the Commons Treasury Committee say about card payments and resilience?
The Commons Treasury Committee raised concerns that relying solely on card payments could jeopardize the broader payment network.
The committee cited risks such as technological failures in major banks, disruptions to financial infrastructure, and the threat of state-sponsored cyberattacks.
It added,
“In discharging its responsibility for national security and resilience, HM Treasury must consider the value of physical cash in emergency preparedness. This may include recommending that cash is held by individuals in case of emergency, and considering what role cash distribution might play in a severe payment systems outage.”