Cold winter could crash IT systems

IT managers should keep their fingers crossed for a warm winter this year or they could face the prospect of power cuts, an energy expert warned today.

Professor Ian Fells, emeritus professor of energy conversion at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, was commenting on news that seven of Britain's 16 power stations are currently out of action because of routine maintenance or problems.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the National Grid had come close to implementing power cuts several times in the past two years and that security of supply had become a real worry.

"We are relying on ageing coal-fired power stations, and ageing nuclear station, and we are not in a position to rebuild them at the moment because this is a privatised industry, and people have to come in and say we have to spend money to build new power stations. But they are still confused about the future of the industry," he said.

Fells pointed out that power cuts could have a catastrophic effect on industry and IT systems and said the problem was an unfortunate legacy of a lack of investment in the nuclear industry a decade ago.

Nuclear power could only be part of the answer - the proposed barrage on the River Severn could provide five per cent of Britain's energy needs, Fells said. But if coal-fired stations has to take up the slack as the current generation of nuclear stations was decommissioned there was no chance Britain could meet its commitments to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions.

A consultation process on the future of Britain's power supplies is expected to last at least another two months.

You can listen to the full interview with Professor Fells here.