BRITAIN risks running out of gas stockpiles by the end of winter, raising fears of an energy crisis crippling the country, and leaving millions to freeze.
A new report from Europe’s gas transmission operators said on Thursday that UK storage facilities could be completely depleted if harsh conditions sweep the country in the next few months.
EU back-up gas storage facilities, which Britain relies on to plug the gap when stocks run out, are also running very low.
It means the UK could be forced to seek out costly imports of US liquefied natural gas (LNG) to stay afloat, driving up bills for millions of households.
The report, from the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG), indicts the UK as one of the most vulnerable countries to a gas crisis, with its forecasts showing a cold snap would rapidly send reserves to zero.
The EU is also under threat, with capacity set to fall to 11 per cent, far below the 30 per cent minimum seen as safe.
‘Maintaining strong LNG deliveries throughout the winter remains important to support the European gas balance and preserve storage levels,’ the report said.
‘If LNG availability remains limited, storage levels could fall well below 30 per cent by the end of the winter, increasing impact in the event of potential cold spells later in the season.’
The warnings coincide with the increasing pressure for prime minister Andy Burnham to approve the Jackdaw North Sea gas field, which could boost UK gas supplies by 3 per cent.
Burnham has already issued a warning that the UK is facing an ‘energy crisis’, stating the winter will be ‘very challenging’ after analysts at Cornwall Insight predicted a 16 per cent rise in bills from January.
EU gas reserves are currently just 72 per cent filled going into the winter, far below the 88 per cent level seen as the minimum needed.
The Iran conflict means LNG imports will come mostly from the US – meaning the UK and EU will also be increasingly vulnerable to political interference from the Trump administration.
Andrew Bowie, the Conservative shadow energy secretary, commented: ‘Britain’s gas supplies are at the mercy of foreign tankers and the weather.
‘Labour have banned new drilling, taxed the producers we have left and left Jackdaw gathering dust, so every cubic metre we do not produce at home must be bought from abroad.’
The UK’s plight is worsened because energy giant Centrica has shut down the Rough gas storage facility which has the capacity to support the UK for weeks.
A Centrica spokesman said the facility was scheduled for decommissioning in April after government delays in prolonging its life.
They added that Rough contains just two days’ worth of gas – a fraction of its capacity.
The government has repeatedly delayed approval for the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea, which contains an estimated 15 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas.
If switched on, it could produce 1.4bcm per year – about 2.5 per cent of total UK demand. However, the decision has been repeatedly delayed because of objections from green groups and Labour backbenchers.
Seb Kennedy, an analyst at Energy Flux, said: ‘Even when full, UK storage holds less than eight days of average winter demand; today it holds under four. Germany has roughly six weeks in the tank, and Italy and France more than 10.
‘Approving Jackdaw will not help this winter … Even with a quick approval it would take time to ramp up, and it would supply a small share of UK demand.’
The TUC and the mining trade unions must tell the government that the energy and mining industries must be completely renationalised and production planned to meet the needs of the working class in the UK.
