British homes are reportedly facing days of blackouts during the winter months due to an emergency rationing scheme.
In order to prepare for potential gas shortages during the winter months, when imports from countries such as Norway and France are at risk, the British government is said to have planned a four-day blackout under a “reasonable worst-case scenario.”
According to Bloomberg, government officials fear that even if emergency measures to reopen closed coal-fired power plants are implemented, the country will face a shortage of around 17% of typical demand.
As a result, a plan has been put in place to cut power to homes for four days in January during peak demand for gas heating.
The plan is “not something we expect to happen,” according to a spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy.
“Households, businesses, and industry can be confident that they will have access to the electricity and gas they require,” said the spokesman.
The warning comes as Britons face yet another massive increase in energy prices, with Cornwall Insight predicting that a typical bill could reach £4,266 by January.
These prices are governed by the so-called energy price cap, a socialist-style government measure designed to keep bills stable.
In practise, the cap has swung between bankrupting energy companies by preventing them from charging market rates and shocking homeowners as the government regulator belatedly adjusts the mandated cap to reflect reality.
The anticipated price increases to the cap will put millions of households on the verge of fuel poverty at risk.
According to The Telegraph, six million households already owe their energy providers an average of £206, up from £188 in April and a 250% increase over September of last year.
Despite the fact that the summer months are when homes typically build up credit by using less energy in preparation for the higher bills in the winter, households in the UK owe a record £1.3 billion to energy suppliers.