Abstract :
This paper discusses the August 2003 power blackout in north-east USA and Canada. Some UK industry observers believe the Government´s energy policy could lead to US-style blackouts in the future, possibly even as early as winter 2003. A lot of generating capacity has been taken out of the UK market due to falling wholesale electricity prices, which puts extra strain on the system during peak load conditions. Although many in the industry feel that the UK grid is in better shape than that of the US right now, fewer are convinced that the future situation looks quite as bright.
