NORTH-EAST industry is braced for a winter of interruptions as it bears the burden of looming electricity shortages and a Government pledge to safeguard household supplies.

This winter spare power capacity will run lower than we have seen for almost a decade, forcing emergency measures to prevent blackouts, which includes paying heavy users – such as steel and chemicals plants - to shut down, and supplying reserves from mothballed power stations.

Ed Davey, the energy secretary, sought to reassure households that the lights wouldn’t go out. But the threat to industry of blackouts and brownouts - where power use is limited, but not cut off completely - is increasing.

NEPIC (North East Processing Industry Cluster), which represents the region’s pharmaceutical, biotechnology and chemical sectors, fear its members will be affected by a determination to protect domestic customers.

A spokesman for Teesside iron and steelmaker SSI UK, said: "We will continue to press government on the subject of energy supplies and costs as we need all of the support we can get as we go through what is a very challenging period for our industry."

A report this week from National Grid, the operator of the country's pipe and pylon network, found that it expected capacity margin - the gap between total electricity generating capacity and peak demand - of just 4.1 per cent, the narrowest since 2006.

Bad weather of the kind seen once every 20 years could see the margin narrow to just 2.8 per cent resulting in the grid failing to meet its basic reserve requirement of spare capacity needed to run the system.

The lack of power reserves has not been helped by the closing down of two EDF sites, including Hartlepool nuclear plant, amid safety fears, and a fire at the Didcot B plant earlier this week. Another power station in Barking is also due for closure shortly.

NECC Policy and Resource Manager, Mark Stephenson, outlined the potential threat to business, when he said: “The North-East is uniquely exposed to potential disruptions to supply given we are the most energy intensive region in the country. It is essential that our businesses are protected from potential breakdowns in energy supply.

“Governments have failed to address our ageing energy infrastructure for too long and have not invested adequately in new energy sources. This long standing failure, added to recent increases in regulations levied on the sector mean that our economy will be at the mercy of the weather this winter.

"Politicians of all stripes should hang their heads in shame.”

Cordi O’Hara, a spokesperson for National Grid, said: “We will continue to keep a close watching brief across both electricity and gas throughout the winter so that we’re strongly placed to respond to any unanticipated events.”

This year's Energy Act attempted to draw £100bn of investment in electricity generation over the next decade, but coalition U-turns and ongoing wrangles between supporters of renewables, fossil fuels and nuclear power have eroded investor confidence.

Mr Stephenson wants to see a more coherent energy policy that safeguards supplies for the long term.

He added: “Government should re-double its effort in this area instead of playing politics with energy policy whether this is offshore wind, nuclear or gas.

"It is time that more meaningful support, along with a sense of urgency, is injected into carbon capture and storage. No energy source should be off the table providing we can utilise it sustainably.”