The BBC has prepared secret scenarios that could be broadcast if energy shortages cause blackouts or loss of gas supplies this winter.
The scenarios examined by the Guardian describe how the corporation would reassure the public in the event that a “major loss of power” caused mobile phone networks, the internet, banking systems or traffic lights to fail in England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland will not be affected as its electricity grid is shared with the Republic of Ireland.
The public will be advised to use car radios or battery-powered receivers to listen to emergency broadcasts on FM and longwave frequencies normally reserved for Radio 2 and Radio 4.
A draft BBC script warned that the blackout could last up to two days, with hospitals and police being put under “extreme pressure” by the crisis.
Another said: “The government has said it hopes power will be restored in the next 36 to 48 hours. Different parts of the UK will start receiving intermittent deliveries before then.
They are believed to have been written by BBC journalists as part of routine emergency planning to deal with hypothetical scenarios. These include local details for the different regions and nations of the United Kingdom.
In a national emergency, the BBC has an official role in helping to disseminate information across the country as part of the Government’s emergency planning. The broadcaster’s governing framework states: “If any UK Government minister considers that an emergency situation has arisen, that minister may require the BBC to broadcast or otherwise disseminate any message or other programme.”
The government is working with the BBC as part of its emergency planning process, although it is unclear whether they have had any input into these scenarios. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has been contacted for comment.
The BBC said it was not commenting on its emergency broadcast plans.
Ministers have made efforts to reassure businesses and households that blackouts are unlikely. However, National Grid, which oversees Britain’s electricity supply, issued a rare warning that power supplies could be at risk. The organization said in a worst-case scenario it could order planned blackouts for up to three hours a day if Russia cuts off all gas supplies to Europe.
On Monday, the chief executive of National Grid, John Pettigrew, went further and said that if everything that could go wrong did go wrong, there could be blackouts between 4pm and 7pm in ” really, really cold’ days in January and February when the wind speeds were too low to power turbines.
The BBC’s draft scenario suggests that in the event of a national blackout it would operate a severely reduced temporary radio service from the UK’s Emergency Broadcasting Centre, called EBC, based in a rural location not recognized by the BBC.
This will provide half-hourly news bulletins on Radio 4 and the longwave frequencies and a ‘music service’ with news updates on the FM spectrum used by Radio 2.
One scenario used in some of the scenarios assumes that grid electricity is only available in a few sparsely populated parts of Scotland – the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland, and some parts of the Highlands.
Draft scripts for on-air news bulletins include space for a quote from a cabinet minister named Jose Riera.
The scripts report that these power outages will affect gas delivery systems and knock out cell phone networks, ATMs and the Internet. Traffic lights will stop working, causing disruption on the roads.
One script written for a hypothetical news bulletin warned: “Emergency services are under extreme pressure. People are advised not to contact them unless absolutely necessary.
It said an emergency co-ordination center had been set up in Wales, while in Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon chaired the devolved government’s emergency planning meeting. It added: “Officials say there is currently no risk to food supply and distribution. But they are asking people to look out for vulnerable neighbors and relatives.
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