Will UK businesses suffer from power cuts this winter? Is it time to buy a diesel generator?

23rd September 2021

During September, we’ve seen the headlines:

“The total number of failed energy suppliers hits seven in the past year, including five within the past five weeks”

“The UK is racing towards a winter energy crisis”

”In total, about 2 million people have been affected by these supplier failures”

These headlines have caused a lot of anxiety amongst UK businesses and the general public. As well as this, it’s common knowledge that a lot of our electricity is imported from Ireland, The Netherlands and France which gives even more reason to believe a possible shortage in supply is incoming. However, should businesses rush out and order a diesel generator right now?

How and where the UK sources its mains electricity really does vary. But it broadly breaks down like this:

Fossil Fuels (Oil, Gas, Coal): 48%

Renewables (Wind, Solar, Biofuel, Hydro elec): 27%

Nuclear: 25%

these figures are Pre-Covid.

The National Grid say they have:

• 1,391 miles (2,239 kilometres) of underground electricity cables
• 4,481 miles (7,212 kilometres) of overhead electricity lines
• 7.8 GW capacity of interconnectors in operation or under construction
• 4,740 miles (7,630 kilometres) of high-pressure gas pipes
• By 2024 our electricity interconnectors will import enough energy to power 8 million homes
• 90% of electricity imported by our electricity interconnectors will be from zero carbon sources by 2030

So, with all this information it leaves the question: should I buy a diesel generator to ensure I have backup power for my business, because it is very likely the grid will catastrophically fail? In reality, the answer is: No. However, regardless of a supposed ‘energy crisis’, if you have a business that relies on power, it’s probably sensible to have a diesel generator for backup, as power cuts happen in the UK all the time, costing businesses. (Google lost £100,000 a minute in 2013!)

If you need a diesel generator for your business, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team here at YorPower and we’ll be on hand to guide you through which generator you’ll need to ensure backup power for your business.

Contact us here.