The Scottish Government report warns Westminster has failed to act to protect the UK’s dwindling energy reserve, which could fall to as low as two per cent by 2015/16, according to Ofgem.

The report said sufficient energy reserves are needed to cope with peaks in demand and prevent price rises and blackouts.

Scotland’s Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: “Having only two per cent reserve energy in the system is extraordinarily risky and could result in big bill price hikes.

“The laws of supply and demand and the cost of bringing more expensive power plants onto the grid to meet peak demand will drive up household energy bills the closer the UK gets to having no spare generation capacity.

“Today’s substantial new paper from the Scottish Government shows that Scotland can help the UK keep the lights on and the bills down. Scotland exports electricity to England and Wales every year – in 2012 a quarter of the electricity generated here helped keep lights on across the rest of the UK.

“Scotland’s huge natural resources mean that we can supply electricity – reliably and affordably. This is the case now, and will be the case in the event of independence.

“But the UK Government’s mixed messages on renewables and its delayed energy market reforms have led to confusion and uncertainty for the renewable industry, and led to a raft of investments being cancelled – as National Grid has pointed out.”