Do you think we will have electricity/gas rationing this winter?

[lonelyapple]

Apparently the Government have assessed a "reasonable worst case scenario" which would involve rationing electricity to 6 million homes this winter if Russia cuts off further gas supplies to Europe.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/power-cuts-energy-bills-russia-b2090163.html

What a lovely dystopian present we are living in :(.

YANBU = Yes, there will be power cuts/utility rationing.
YABU = Nope, it won't happen, the Tories are excellent at planning for such contingencies (joke).

My country barely uses gas at all, just a few district heating zones use gas but that would only affect heating not electricity.
I suspect Germany will cave

Even if country's don't use gas for heating they will use for electricity so no getting away from it.

Looking at a map of europe showing electricity production by fuel types, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Latvia, Lithuania, Italy and Belgium are the countries that significantly use gas for electricity production (along with UK and Ireland) so they are most likely to have trouble. My country uses very little gas and almost zero oil for electricity production, Russia already cut us off from both with zero impact, so think we'll be alright.

We should all be rationing ourselves anyway because:

1. buying Russian oil is funding the invasion of Ukraine.
2. it’s bloody expensive and we will need to look after our pennies because of the cost of living
3. it’s caused and is causing a climate emergency and the only way to mitigate against the worst of the effects is to reduce our carbon footprint.

Have you got a link to that map, it sounds fascinating

It is like a repeat of the toilet rolls, soap and pasta. Ffs some people are so utterly selfish.

@ballsdeep Surely it's better to do it now, whilst there's probably a good supply of stuff, rather than in winter when there won't be?

No. I only ever use a torch if, say, I'm searching under the sofa or in a dark corner for something. Or there was that time we went away on holiday in the winter to somewhere with no street lights. Why would I otherwise use it routinely?

I use a torch every night. (Work and home)I also prep every winter with enough fuel - gas, coal, wood, batteries, staple goods and tinned foods. Why wouldn’t you? Coal and wood are cheaper in the summer and easier to get deliveries. The rest is common sense in case of power cuts/freezing conditions/illness/ loss of employment or to help someone else in an emergency.
I do budget like hell to do it though.

this does sound fair. it sounds amazing
please, are you in politics? get in there if not!

www.visualcapitalist.com/europes-electricity-production-by-country-and-fuel-type/

The Netherlands is the most screwed, I hope they have contingency plans

No thank you. You are welcome to self ration in the name of climate change if you want but don't impose it on people who don't want to ration.

Care is needed with this link. Its almost 10 years out of date! Similarly the Netherlands produces its own gas and so its dependency on imports is much lower than many others. (Around 25% gas imported as opposed to 100% in other EU countries....)

Ah thanks, didn't notice how old the data is! Wonder if there's anything more recent.

When we lived in Belgium, there was an issue with one of the Doel reactors. All the Christmas lights were off where we lived, and a website had been set up showing which areas would be blacked out and when, if needed.

I ensured we had logs, candles, lamp oil, a camping stove and lots of blankets. We already has a gas BBQ, which solved the cooking issue.

Now back in the UK, I already have a fully stacked log shed, candles, lamp oil and blankets. It will be a PITA if we get brown outs, but as we get power cuts anyway, we are used to it.

@thegcatsmother
silly question time! We call them blackouts- I noticed you wrote brown outs. Is this a regional thing or a typo? (Genuinely far too interested in this sort of thing, like finding out eskimos have soo many names for our one ‘snow’)

They were called brown outs in Belgium, don't know why. In the UK, it would be power cut I suppose.

@thegcatsmother Thank you! I love this sort of knowledge - useful for quizzes! blackouts in the uk.

We say brownout in the UK too but that's when the voltage drops, as opposed to a blackout where there's no electricity at all.

Ah, so it's enforced rationing you're aiming for. Got it.

lonelyapple: Why are they talking about energy rationing?

Also lonelyapple: Tight energy market? I'm going to keep using as much as I want, lol.

We get a lot of our gas from both the US and Qatar. We get a preferential deal with both countries due to our close relationship. Gas storage facilities are at their max capacity ( more shitty Tory planning !!!!!!!!!!! ).

We are currently exporting gas to Germany to help the Ukrainians otherwise Putin would be barrell bombing and torturing more civilians.

We, of course, have our own source of shale gas in Lancashire. The drilling there was going to be capped however that decision has been rescinded.

Renewals will never yield anywhere near what is needed and Nuclear is hugely expensive and not without its risk.

I don't think there will be power rationing but food supplies from Ukraine could cause supply problems later in the year. Again, I guess the US and Canada will be looking to increase their production.

I'm surprised anybody still reads the Independent !.