The National Grid has said that it is confident of having the required power supplies to keep the lights on this coming winter, but only because of the introduction of emergency measures to avoid blackouts.

The operator of the UK’s electricity transmission system has forecast that it will have enough power and predicts that the buffer between supply and demand in the winter months is likely to average around 5.5%, which is similar to last year’s margin, stating that this was “manageable.”

However, without the spare capacity that power generators are paid to keep on standby, the margin would have been just 0.1%, along with a scheme to pay industrial users to cut demand during peak times.

The National Grid has given lucrative contracts to a number of energy firms to keep mothballed coal fired power stations available to use at short notice as the electricity network in the UK has come under more and more strain.

National Grid Director of UK Market Operations, Cordi O’Hara, said she was confident that the organisation is equipped with the right services and tools, including more power that can be called upon if needed for the highest demand periods.

However, blackout fears have been increased by a number of major supply crunches caused by fires and breakdowns at power stations in the UK over recent years; however Hugo Chandler, a director at New Resource Partners, an energy consultancy service said that the National Grid deserved credit for ensuring that the system is strong enough to cope.

Mr Chandler commented: “We are moving towards a decentralised, flexible grid with a diverse mix of generation capacity, and increasingly smart methods of balancing supply and demand.”

However, the National Grid stated earlier in the week that the big new capacity sources were needed in the coming years to make sure that the UK has an adequate electricity supply.