According to National Gas, Britain had 6,999 gigawatt hours (GWh) of fossil gas stored this month
Officials have responded to claims that Great Britain’s energy could start running low since the Iran conflict. This follows reports that only ‘two days’ worth of gas is stored, as tankers carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) are being diverted from their course from Europe towards Asia since the war.
According to National Gas, which owns and operates the gas national transmission system, Britain had 6,999 gigawatt hours (GWh) of fossil gas stored on March 7. This compares with 9,105 GWh in the previous year, Daily Star reports.
Maximum capacity is reportedly 12 days of gas and current storage levels equal to under two days of reserves, prompting concerns that Great Britain could dry up if the Iran crisis escalates further. However, National Gas said even when storage stocks are low, Great Britain continues to receive large volumes of gas from other sources, reports the Guardian.
A National Gas spokesperson said: “Britain’s gas storage levels are broadly in line with what we would expect at this point in the year and are comparable to this time last year. It’s important to remember that storage makes up only a small part of Britain’s diverse gas supply mix.
“Most of our gas comes from the UK continental shelf and Norway, complemented by LNG, interconnectors with continental Europe, and storage. Great Britain benefits from a wide range of supply sources that the market draws on every day.
“Together, these provide the flexibility needed to balance supply and demand reliably throughout the year.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “It is categorically untrue that the UK only has access to two days of gas supply. We have a diverse energy mix and are confident in our security of supply. “Gas will continue to play a key role in our diverse and resilient energy system as we transition to more secure, clean homegrown energy. We are working with industry to ensure the gas system is fit for the future, including maintaining security of supply in the rarest scenarios.”
According to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg, at least two tankers have redirected in the middle of the Atlantic from Europe to Asia since Friday. It comes after three similar diversions were reported last week.
Gas prices have steeply increased since the US and Israel began intense airstrikes on Iran 10 days ago. UK month-ahead gas prices rose last week to 137p a therm, up from 78.5p a therm before the Iran war began.
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