Ireland9 Jun 2022 08:32
Ireland Runs Oil and Electricity Shortage Wargame With Lockdowns, Fuel Control
By Neil Campbell
Neil lives in Canada and writes about society and politics.
Published: June 8, 2022
The Irish Government is preparing for fuel and electricity shortages starting in September that will result in lockdowns and fuel rationing.
Police officers against a nationalist protest on April 8, 2021. The Irish Government recently ran a wargame simulating a serious fuel shortage starting in September, worsening in December, and producing an electricity shortage in February of 2022. Proposed measures will be lockdown measures and to severely ration fuel and impose stiff speed limits on roadways.
The Government of Ireland recently conducted a secret wargame preparing for the installation of lockdowns and fuel control in the event the country runs either an oil deficit or faces a total electricity shortage starting as early as September, reporting shows.
In an exclusive article published June 6 by the Irish Independent, the outlet says it obtained “confidential details of an emergency planning exercise held 10 days ago between all the major state agencies and the Government.”
The article states the exercise was coined Oil Emergency Exercise and conducted on May 26 by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) where members from the DECC, in addition to the following agencies, participated:
National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA)
Fuels for Ireland (FFI)
Department of Transport and National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG)
Work from home, no driving
The wargame contained a multitude of “emergency contingency measures,” specifically,
“Non-essential workers” will be ordered to work from home
“Non-essential” car travel will be limited
Fuel rationing for motorists will be strictly enforced
An “immediate and strict reduction” in the speed limit will be imposed.
Restrictions on freedom of movement and fuel purchases were explained in the article, “The plan also includes the introduction of an emergency scheme whereby motorists with an odd number at the end of their car registration will only be allowed to drive or refuel on alternate days.”
For example, “Those with odd numbers could refuel on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday and those with an even number on a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.”
No oil = no electricity
An unnamed “Government source” told the Independent that three mock scenarios were run during the exercise:
A 20 percent reduction in diesel volumes entering Ireland starting Sept. 1;
A 30 to 35 percent reduction in diesel volumes entering Ireland over the previous eight weeks starting Dec. 19; and
Not enough oil and gas to supply electricity in February of 2023.
The source was paraphrased as describing “the planning exercise and the options available to mitigate supply problems and protect societal function as ‘very, very stark’.”
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