投稿者: otisupfield7

Government departments working in Whitehall could be forced to use carbon paper to make copies of documents if Britain ends up having energy blackouts this winter.

Civil servants have been stress-testing emergency plans in case the country is left without power for days on end.

It comes days after it was revealed that millions across the country could be asked to limit energy use this winter to head off blackouts by avoiding using gas and electricity at peak times.

Energy rationing may be required in homes, the , schools, care homes, shops, pubs and on the streets of Britain as energy prices continue to surge, prompting fears for the winter.

If energy blackouts were to occur, Whitehall could also be hit by extreme measures including using carbon paper to duplicate documents, like they did in the past, instead of photocopiers.

Carbon paper is a thin paper coated in carbon which can be used to make a second impression of a document that is being written or typed. It was invented in 1806 and was used frequently before the rise of photocopiers and email.

One official told the : ‘The idea is you’d have people running up and down Whitehall handing out carbon copies of documents to colleagues at other departments or agencies, to keep people in touch.

‘This is all about addressing concerns over how to keep the government communicating with each other in the event of a crisis.’

It comes as part of a cross-government programme called Yarrow, which was set up in 2021, to improve planning in case crises including energy blackouts or nuclear war.

Officials insist that ‘the programme predates’ Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Spiralling gas bills, spurred on by the war, have caused a worsening cost-of-living crisis across the UK, as energy prices continue to soar.

The emergency-planning stress tests have been happening every four months as part of the Government’s risk planning strategy for ‘reasonable’ worst-case scenarios.

This includes cold weather and lower energy imports for Norway resulting in the UK having an electricity shortfall of up to a sixth of peak demand. If this were to occur, Civil Servants have warned without rationing there could be blackouts for days.

While the UK is not reliant on Russia for energy, the country has relatively low levels of gas storage.

The Government has said that Britain has one of the most reliable energy systems in the world and the likelihood of a total failure in power supplies is low and has not increased in recent times.

The National Grid Electricity System operator has a range of tools to ensure the electricity system is kept in balance and protects against system-wide failures. 

A Government spokesperson added: ‘This cross-government exercise started in early 2021 and ensures central government is able to effectively respond to a wide range of extreme scenarios, no matter how unlikely they may be.

‘The UK’s secure and diverse energy supplies will ensure households, businesses and industry can be confident they can get the electricity and gas they need.’

Last week, the energy regulator OfGem announced that energy bills would soar by 80 per cent to an average of £3,549 a month per household.

Millions of people across the UK will plummet into fuel poverty as a result of the price jump. 

Experts told MailOnline yesterday that there would be ‘no escape’ for the 66 million people in the UK who will be encouraged to limit their use of gas and electricity this winter.

Kathryn Porter, from consultancy Watt-Logic, fears that the crisis will cost lives in the coming months and told MailOnline: ‘We should keep our fingers crossed for a warm and windy winter’.

Ms Porter that it is ‘very possible’ that the UK will see plans for energy rationing, despite the likely next Prime Minister, Liz Truss, ruling it out. But she added ‘it would be voluntary, asking people to make a small sacrifice to avoid blackouts’.

If the country is asked to ration energy it could impact all parts of life.

At home, people may be encouraged to not use washing machines, dishwashers and ovens between 2pm and 8pm.

People may have to wait longer for treatment from the NHS as some health trusts have predicted that they could be spending up to three times more than they did last year on energy and gas bills.

Schools have discussed the possibility of three-day weeks and classes could be combined to reduce the number of rooms being heated each day.

Care homes have had to reduce menu options for residents and cut down on entertainment trips in a bid to curb costs.

Some pubs will even start turning out the lights at 9pm with last orders being as early as 8.30pm to avoid financial ruin.