Paul,
This doesn't surprise me one little bit.
It seems to be an international trend.
When winter hits town, that is when people use more heating in their houses, more lighting because it gets dark earlier and more home-cooked meals are most common during the winter months.
But, when a statement like "the National Grid will not be able to cope",is said, it worries me a tad and at the same time, makes me ask the question, why on earth is this occurring?
You don't have to even be an electrician to realise that the loads on power systems are rising all the time as new houses and commercial buildings get connected to them.
IMO, selling electricity these days, is about profit, not care of infra-structure, this way of working is going to blow back in some CEO's face one of these days.
{sarcasm}
But hey, the network is still working isn't it?, give this guy his Xmas bonus, all $3 million of it!
{/sarcasm}