Grid operator accused of cover-up over blackout threat
Tories allege bosses ordered control-room staff to hide information and not keep permanent records
Britain’s grid operator has been accused of covering up system failures that threaten to trigger blackouts.
Bosses at the National Energy Systems Operator (Neso) allegedly ordered control-room staff to hide information that showed the grid was not being run securely, according to Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary.
This allegedly involved ordering staff not to keep permanent records of operational decisions, to ensure there was no paper trail.
Ms Coutinho has written to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) demanding it open an investigation into the alleged incidents.
Neso, a government body backed by the taxpayer, is responsible for keeping the country’s lights on and balancing supply with demand.
It was carved out of National Grid shortly after Ed Miliband became Energy Secretary in 2024.
It has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after June’s record-breaking heatwave forced it to issue electricity margin notices, which urge power plant operators to ramp up production to help balance the system.
Neso said no electricity supplies were at risk.
Ms Coutinho said on Tuesday that a whistleblower had informed her that staff were told not keep permanent records late last month, when the grid’s frequency destabilised and dropped below Neso’s strict operating limit, which can trigger widespread blackouts.
Members of Neso’s corporate affairs team, who manage media and government relations, also allegedly interfered in the control room, telling operators what to do in an attempt to protect the organisation’s reputation, Ms Coutinho claimed.
On 2nd June I raised concerns about the security of our electricity grid. I was told by Ed Miliband that I was scaremongering.
Since then I have been contacted by a whistleblower within our grid operator, the NESO.
They allege that operators are being instructed to hide… pic.twitter.com/9dJvFz5dng
— Claire Coutinho (@ClaireCoutinho) July 7, 2026
In a letter to Paul Arnold, the information commissioner, she said: “I have been contacted by whistleblowers who allege that, during periods of system stress, senior Neso managers have instructed operators in the control room to keep ‘live documents’ with no version history.
“This is allegedly in order to ensure that there is no audit trail or records of how key operational decisions are made and ensure that full records are not preserved for the purposes of Freedom of Information.”
The Telegraph: continue reading
••••
The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)
••••
Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.
••••
Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
••••
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Liberty Beacon Project.
Leave a Reply