Experts issue warning over 'more frequent' UK blackouts - after major power cut in Spain and Portugal

1 May 2025, 14:56 | Updated: 2 May 2025, 06:37

Blackouts in Britain are becoming more frequent, experts have told LBC after a major power cut in Spain and Portugal sparked chaos.

Just hours before the lights went out in the Iberian Peninsula in a move that cause widespread disruption - parts of Britain also suffered a mysterious blackout.

According to Simon Cran-McGreehin, head of analysis at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, the UK is experiencing more power cuts than ever before.

He told LBC: "The biggest reason for power cuts is weather.

"Weather is becoming more extreme as the climate changes. So we are getting more [power cuts]. We have storms that are more severe, So you have more wind damage. We have trees coming down on lines.

"All these impacts of climate change happening which are going to make weather damage and system and power cuts more likely, more common."

Read more: Brits should hoard cash in case of Spain and Portugal style blackouts, Treasury warned

Read more: Mystery of Britain’s unexplained power outages hours before Spain and Portugal blackout

While minor outages affect localised areas regularly, there have been previous instances affect large parts of the country.

Their impacts may not have matched the scale of the chaotic outage across Spain and Portugal earlier this week, but it is not impossible that the UK could experience similar.

Mr Cran-McGreehin said: "When major faults have occurred, they have been unavoidable accidents.

"For example, lightning strikes. The last major blackout in The UK was 2019 because of a lightning strike, and it caused certain power stations to trip."

However, he stressed that while these things happen they are "very, very rare," adding that the UK's power gird is "remarkably resilient".

Critics including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch have alleged that the government's net zero drive makes the country more vulnerable.

But Mr Cran-McGreehin says this is a "very simplistic view".

He added: "When people are looking at the transition to renewables, National Grid, the system operator... is taking this very seriously.

"It's putting in place new technology, new backup generation, new systems to cope with sudden losses in generation, systems to help stabilise frequency and also operational methods."

In the event of a blackout, back-up generators can provide emergency power when the grid is down.

Dr Rowena Hill, Professor of Resilience, Emergencies and Disaster Science at Nottingham Trent University, says this acts as a crucial line of defence for hospitals, water supply and other essential services.

But "things like schools, libraries" and other community spaces wouldn't necessarily "be a priority for keeping the lights on".

While conventional messaging around disaster preparedness tends to focus on stockpiling resources, Dr Hill suggests we need to shift the focus.

She told LBC: "I'm a disaster researcher. I don't have water in my cellar... All I have is a wind up radio because actually communication is the biggest key... Instead of waiting for rescue, it's thinking 'how can I be resilient myself."

"Instead of being prescriptive about the things that we would need in an emergency to have that we store, it's more around 'how can you resource with your neighbours and those that you're stuck with,?" she said.

Dr Hill likened this proactive approach to responses communities took during the Covid-19 pandemic, where local groups formed to help each other out by "sharing resources, understanding that "actually different people have different strengths and different skill sets".

This is particularly important for helping the most vulnerable in our society, says Dr Hill

"We know that any form of disaster and emergency amplify risk and vulnerability for those in the community who are particularly females, young children, older people, and also those who have any significant health or mental health needs," she added.