BBC plans three-day emergency radio service for a major UK blackout

The BBC is preparing an emergency radio service that could operate for at least three days without internet access or outside supplies, as UK officials and resilience experts consider how essential services would cope with a prolonged power failure.

The plan is part of preparations for a “Black Sky” event: a major disruption in which electricity failure also affects water, transport, shops and communications. The government says there is no specific threat to the UK grid.

The BBC’s emergency operation would involve about 100 staff in a special radio studio, according to BBC media correspondent David Sillito. The broadcaster would use secure communications independent of the internet, while radio transmitters would rely on diesel generators. The service would carry pre-written government messages, alongside reporting from journalists at emergency centres.

The need for such preparations was illustrated by flooding in Lancaster in December 2015, when power was cut to 61,500 people. Water supplies began to fail where electric pumps were needed, while the railway station, petrol stations and shops closed and most cash machines stopped working. FM radio and copper-wire landlines were among the communications systems that continued to function.

At a recent UK resilience summit, discussion focused on preparing to withstand a Black Sky event for at least 72 hours. A BBC source told Sillito that earlier planning had considered five to seven days, but that the National Energy System Operator now expects power could probably be restored in two to three days.

The resilience debate also concerns what happens when power loss affects infrastructure beyond the electricity network. Lord Harris, chair of the National Preparedness Commission, said water supplies could stop because pumping requires electricity, while sewage systems could back up if water cannot move through them.

There are competing views over the resilience of communications. Harris warned that moving emergency services to mobile-network technology could leave them affected if mobile networks failed. The government says the move to 4G and 5G is “resilient and reliable”.

The UK is also developing high-altitude aircraft intended to provide emergency mobile and internet connectivity for at least a week; the government is spending £70m on the work. But the copper-wire landline system, which can work during a power cut, is due to be switched off on 31 January 2027. The government says it is unreliable and difficult to repair. FM radio’s future is also under review.