\n\t\t\t\t\tMinisters have been looking at how to deal with ‘different kinds of challenges and threat’ following the widespread power cut that left Spain, Portugal and parts of France in darkness\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n
The Government has said a major power cut<\/a> affecting Spain, Portugal and parts of France \u201chad no effects in the UK\u201d. <\/p>\n But ministers have been looking at how to deal with \u201cdifferent kinds of challenges and threats\u201d following what is one of Europe\u2019s biggest ever power system failures<\/a>.<\/p>\n Asked whether the power cut had triggered a fear that British infrastructure could be affected in the same way, Yvette Cooper told Sky News that the UK has a \u201ccontinued approach\u201d to \u201cresilience\u201d and \u201csecurity issues\u201d.<\/p>\n She added: \u201cWe\u2019ve been looking, as part of wider security reviews across the country, how we deal with both resilience and also different kinds of challenges and threats.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of which can be the traditional security challenges, some of which can be the kinds of resilience \u2013 things that we\u2019re talking about in\u00a0Spain\u00a0and\u00a0Portugal\u00a0\u2013 and we obviously support them and the governments there in the work that they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n Here The i Paper looks at how prepared the UK is for a similar event.<\/p>\n How is UK energy sourced?<\/p>\n The UK\u2019s energy comes from a range of sources, including renewables, fossil fuels and nuclear, and using these sources, electricity is generated in power plants. <\/p>\n Electricity is transported through overhead and underground cables, while natural gas is transported via underground cables.<\/p>\n Could a similar power cut happen in the UK?<\/p>\n Investigations into what caused the multinational power cut<\/a> are ongoing but Spanish grid operator Red Electrica has already ruled out a cyber attack\u00a0as the reason for the widespread blackout.<\/p>\n As an island network Great Britain\u2019s electricity system does not operate under the same conditions as continental European networks. As a result, it is insulated from some events that impact the wider European electricity network.<\/p>\n The National Energy System Operator (NESO) has confirmed Britain\u2019s electricity network was not affected by the power system collapse which impacted parts of Europe. <\/p>\n A spokesperson added that NESO is working closely with its counterparts across Europe to understand the cause of the power system incident but said it is too early to comment further.<\/p>\n In its 2019 Blackout report, power supplies manufacturer Riello UPS, stated that there was only \u201ca 1-in-200 chance\u201d that the UK could experience a complete\u00a0grid <\/strong>failure, with an up to seven day wait for power to be completely restored,\u00a0in the next five years.<\/p>\n Chris Owens, marketing manager at Riello UPS, told Metro<\/a>: \u201cWhen you look at the events in Portugal and Spain and wonder \u2018could that happen here in the UK?\u2019, it\u2019s still highly unlikely.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s never been a complete failure of the UK\u2019s electricity network, our power grid is reliable and robust.\u201d<\/p>\n How prepared is the UK to deal with a widespread power cut?<\/p>\n In May last year, the then Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden launched a new \u201cPrepare\u201d Government website to help the public prepare for emergencies. <\/p>\n The online resource, which remains official guidance, states that while the UK has a resilient electricity system and most power cuts are localised and short-lived, more widespread power cuts that last days are possible.<\/p>\n The energy industry is understood to have well established plans for responding to a range of threats to the power network but generally keeps details secret for security reasons.<\/p>\n Local resilience forums, multi-agency partnerships made up of representatives from public services, including the emergency services and the Environment Agency, are also in place and work to plan for both localised incidents and catastrophic emergencies.<\/p>\n How to prepare for a blackout<\/p>\n In preparation for a power cut, official advice is that people should:<\/p>\n\n