08/09/09 - Risks To Homes & Business As Whitehall Plans For Power Cuts

Local Conservatives Cllr Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland have warned that homes and businesses across Swindon could be facing power cuts within years because of poor planning by the Labour government.  For the first time since the three-day week of the 1970s, consumers will be told to prepare for blackouts, because the supply of electricity will fail to meet demand at peak times.

Over the next few years many power stations will reach the end of their lives or have to shut because of EU law.  But the Government has failed to ensure that replacements are available in time.  The small print of Whitehall documents reveals that Ministers have pencilled in power cuts of 3,000 Megawatt hours per year by 2017 – which means 670,000 people going without electricity for a day.

In practice the blackouts are most likely to strike at peak times – in the early evening during the winter months – hitting many more people for shorter periods when the need for electricity is greatest. The expected gap of 3,000 Megawatt hours could even mean an hour-long power cut for 16 million people simultaneously on a winter evening.

Cllr Justin Tomlinson, North Swindon Parliamentary candidate commented: "I am extremely concerned that homes and businesses in Swindon will face blackouts because the Labour Government put its head in the sand about energy policy for a decade.  Ministers have been forced to admit they expect the lights to go out for the first time since the three-day week of the 1970s.''

Robert Buckland, South Swindon Parliamentary candidate added: "Conservatives will act quickly to tackle Labour’s energy crisis. We will increase generating capacity, improve energy efficiency by insulating people’s homes, adopt the latest green technology and make Britain’s energy policy a matter of national security.''