The UK Government has been stress testing emergency plans to deal with blackouts lasting up to a week, it has been reported.
A confidential plan known as Programme Yarrow prepares for a "reasonable worst-case scenario" in which transport, food and water supply, communications, and energy could be "severely disrupted" for up to seven days.
Documents marked as "official sensitive" obtained by The Guardian reveal the Government's priorities if this event were to ever occur. Yarrow is separate from the National Grid scheme which could see three-hour blackouts occur as a last resort to protect energy supplies.
Programme Yarrow specifically prepares for a situation where power becomes unavailable without any warning. The blueprint is part of year-round contingency planning and pre-dates the war in Ukraine and its impacts on energy.
In the event of a week-long blackout, the Government will prioritise getting food, water and shelter to young and elderly people, as well as their carers.
Only analogue FM radios would work during the blackouts and just BBC Radio 2 and 4 would be able to broadcast with the help of generators.
In this instance, Ofgem and the National Grid would be expected to restore 100 percent of electricity demand after a week - even in this worst-case scenario.
A Government spokesperson told the Daily Record: "As a responsible government, it is right that we plan for all potential scenarios and work with industry to prepare and exercise robust contingency plans. This work is ongoing continuously and is an important strand of our national resilience planning.
"Local and national exercises are a part of this ongoing work and ensure we are able to effectively respond to any of a wide range of scenarios, no matter how unlikely they may be."
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