Britain's grid operator rules out winter power and gas outages but expects the country to rely on French imports

The National Energy System Operator expects Britain to import more power than it exports for the whole of winter 2026-27, with France supplying much of it. Conflict in the Middle East has choked liquefied gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Wholesale electricity is up 120% since February. NESO still insists there is no risk of blackouts and forecasts a 5.5 GW surplus.

Shadow energy secretary Andrew Bowie claims Ofgem cannot guarantee homes stay warm on a peak winter day.

Britain cut its own gas production for decarbonisation and is now hooked on foreign supplies.

EU gas stores were just 72 per cent full on 30 September, the lowest in a decade.