Nils Pratley is right to bring attention to the warning from the National Energy System Operator (Neso) about secure gas supplies (Report detailing risk to UK gas security was not one to bury on budget day, 2 December). Without secure supplies and adequate subsurface storage, the UK has come close to running out of gas, most notably in March 2013, when we were within hours of doing so.
Given that 85% of the roughly 30m homes in the UK currently rely on gas for heating and cooking, pivoting away from the energy source is not going to happen soon. Furthermore, gas provides more than half of our electricity base load on cold, windless and dark days, meaning it’s critical that we have supplies for national security.
As the article pointed out, the Ormen Lange gas field and Langeled pipeline are critical points of failure. The alternatives are either to ensure we continue responsible production from domestic fields in UK waters, or to ramp up and pay for high-carbon intensity liquid natural gas imports from sources like Qatar and the US, which are far worse for the global climate and lead to the risk of price spikes that ultimately increase bills.
Securing the domestic sources requires the government to encourage and incentivise the sector to find and produce the gas we need as we manage the transition away from fossil fuels. The recent relaxation of policy through the introduction of transitional energy certificates is encouraging, but an obvious additional step is to remove the windfall tax. Unless that is done, I fear investment in domestic gas production will not be forthcoming, leaving the country vulnerable to gas shortages that Neso has highlighted.
Prof John Underhill
University director for energy transition, The Interdisciplinary Institute, Aberdeen University
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