The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

The E.U. is preparing for blackouts this winter, amid an energy crisis

October 5, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. EDT
A water tower and high voltage line pylons in a field in Normandy, France, seen on Aug. 10. (Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images)
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An energy supply crunch tied to the war in Ukraine could cause widespread blackouts in the European Union this winter, an official in charge of managing crises within the bloc has warned.

The European Union is shoring up its resources as temperatures drop and preparing for two “conceivable scenarios”: one in which a few member states experience power cuts, and another in which blackouts occur in many member states at the same time, E.U. Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarcic told Germany’s RND media.