National Grid is a key electricity and gas utility company operating in both the United States and Great Britain. In the U.S., it serves regions such as New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. In Great Britain, National Grid Electricity System Operator manages the high-voltage electricity transmission network.
United States:
As of March 18, 2025, National Grid reported that approximately 2,924 customers were without power, out of a total of over 3 million customers. This equates to about 0.1% of their customer base. The company provides an interactive outage map, updated every five minutes, offering regional power restoration information. Customers can also sign up for outage alerts via text, phone call, or email to receive timely updates.
Great Britain:
In Great Britain, power cuts are rare, with the National Grid Electricity System Operator reporting a transmission system availability of 99.999612% for the 2021–22 period. However, there have been notable incidents, such as the 2003 London blackout affecting 476,000 customers, and the 2019 outage impacting around a million customers. For unexpected power cuts, residents are advised to report them by calling 105, which connects them to their distribution network operator.
Global Context:
Power grid reliability varies worldwide. For instance, Nigeria’s national power grid frequently collapses, leading to significant economic losses, with causes including aging infrastructure and insufficient investment. In Australia, concerns have arisen about potential blackouts due to an abundance of solar power leading to low power demand, prompting discussions about grid stability solutions.