Even for an executive in the eye of the gathering storm that is the energy crisis, Chris O’Shea seems remarkably busy. The chief executive of Centrica bustles on to our videocall from offices in Easington, East Yorkshire, after battling traffic on his way from a hydrogen project in the Humber. Afterwards he’s off to the coast, to check progress on reopening the massive Rough undersea gas storage facility – a key part of ensuring the UK will be able to keep the lights on as Russia throttles gas supplies.
He has also found time to watch Liz Truss announce her energy bills bailout on the TV. Her plan involves reworking power supply contracts, a measure O’Shea, along with other industry leaders, has been pushing for. Tomorrow brings an early morning trip to Brigg power station in north Lincolnshire, where the company is building a 50-megawatt battery storage plant.
