MPs quiz energy bosses on London blackout

Senior power company executives are to be cross-examined by MPs after last week's power failure blacked out 400,000 homes and paralysed rail services in London.

Executives at National Grid and the electricity suppliers will be questioned at least twice by MPs on the Trade and Industry Select Committeeamid fears that Britain's electricity system is in crisis.

Last Thursday's blackout left 250,000 evening commuters stranded in Tube tunnels, on Underground platforms and railway stations, and shut off power across southern London and north Kent.

The incident - blamed on two very rare power failures happening within seven seconds of each other - again raised fears that the UK faces far more serious blackouts this winter because of a shortage of back-up power stations.

National Grid executives are already under intense pressure from ministers and London Mayor Ken Livingstone to explain what happened last week. They face cuts in their bonuses, compensation claims from London Underground and the rail companies, and an inquiry by the regulator, Ofgem.

Martin O'Neill, the select committee chairman, said the power companies would first be quizzed about Thursday's incident on 16 September, during a day of hearings into the mishandling of power cuts after last October's storms which affected two million customers.

Mr O'Neill was critical of National Grid's failure last Thursday to alert the public quickly about the cause of the blackout. Although it lasted less than an hour, there were no announcements to quell commuters' fears of a terrorist attack or information given out by call centre staff. "This left a lot to be desired," he said.

The committee is then expected to stage a separate, in-depth investigation before Christmas into Thursday's incident and anxiety about power cuts this winter, he said.

National Grid has admitted there is a risk of power failures in December and January because the power companies have mothballed spare power stations, cutting extra capacity from 27 per cent to 16 per cent. This fall - blamed on privatised power companies cutting costs because of a steep slump in electricity prices - reduces National Grid's ability to supply extra power if this winter is very cold and an accident hits the grid.

"We will have to ask a number of detailed questions, such as whether other Metro systems around the world have other ways of getting power," Mr O'Neill said. "I'm certainly exercised by the drop of extra capacity to 16 per cent. This is a bit worrying."

Malcolm Grimstone, an energy expert at Imperial College, London, said the fall in excess capacity posed "a real threat" of power cuts. Ofgem's failure to help power companies invest in extra capacity meant black-outs this winter were "a real possibility". The new MPs' inquiry will also investigate claims that power companies are skimping on maintenance. National Grid has cut its engineering and maintenance staff by 60 per cent, but insists its spending on repairs and modernisation was £300m a year, compared to £80m a year before privatisation.