VerbatimParliament, as it happens

Power Failures

Asked by Richard TiceReform UKDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled Answered 23 January 2026UIN 105901

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many UK households have experienced power cuts in the last five years due to insufficient renewable energy supply.

Answered by Michael Shanks

No UK households have experienced power cuts in the last five years due to insufficient renewable electricity generation. Great Britain has a highly resilient electricity system with diverse supplies, and the system operator has the tools required to balance supply and demand across a wide range of scenarios.

Where power cuts have occurred, these have resulted from factors such as severe weather or local network faults, rather than generation adequacy.

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