National Grid played down reports Britain was heading for a power outage tonight saying there is plenty of power available.
The scare was sparked by an automated notice of 'tight supplies’, that was almost immediately rescinded by ESO, National Grid’s supply arm.
“The ESO is confident that electricity margins are sufficient for this evening. However, a capacity market notice (CMN) has been triggered by the automated system.
Tuesday’s scare follows months of warnings from the Grid about possible power cuts in the UK, suggesting homes could face three-hour blackouts if demand could not be met.
John Pettigrew, chief executive, said: "There could be energy shortfalls in the UK and we will manage that very carefully," but added these were “unlikely”.
CMNs, which before Tuesday had not been issued since August, are to guide electricity generators on whether production should be raised or lowered, according to the National Grid ESO website, and don’t necessarily “mean that electricity supply is at risk”.
National Grid reiterated that there were “no concerns for electricity supplies” on Tuesday evening when asked for comment.
Shares in National Grid rose by 0.3% to 1,035p.