Centrica has reopened its Rough storage facility, with the first injection of gas in more than five years taking place off the East Yorkshire coast.
Significant engineering upgrades have been completed over the summer, with permits obtained ahead of commissioning in recent weeks. It brings a huge boost to energy resilience over winter, easing fears over supply for the UK - with gas crucial for domestic heating and power generation, as well as industry.
Rough, managed from Easington, is in a position to store up to 30 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas for UK homes and businesses over winter 2022/23. Work done so far means it can operate at around 20 per cent of its previous capacity this winter, immediately making it the UK’s largest gas storage site once again and adding 50 per cent to the UK’s capacity.
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Bosses said it will help to balance the UK’s gas market, injecting gas into the facility when prices are low and putting that gas back into the UK’s gas network when demand is higher.
The UK has diverse gas supplies with connections with Norway and other European countries and a number of LNG import terminals. However, it still has some of the lowest levels of gas storage in Europe at nine days, compared to Germany at 89 days, France at 103 days and the Netherlands at 123 days. The flexibility in Rough allows cheaper gas to be stored ready for winter, helping to reduce or stabilise costs for UK energy consumers.
Centrica group chief executive, Chris O’Shea, said “I’m delighted that we have managed to return Rough to storage operations for this winter following a substantial investment in engineering modifications. Our long-term aim remains to turn the Rough field into the world’s biggest methane and hydrogen storage facility, bolstering the UK’s energy security, delivering a net zero electricity system by 2035, decarbonising the UK’s industrial clusters, such as the Humber region by 2040, and helping the UK economy by returning to being a net exporter of energy.
"In the short term we think Rough can help our energy system by storing natural gas when there is a surplus and producing this gas when the country needs it during cold snaps and peak demand. Rough is not a silver bullet for energy security, but it is a key part of a range of steps which can be taken to help the UK this winter.”
It comes as Centrica works with a Hull technology start-up to pilot the injection of hydrogen into a gas-fired power station at Brigg, while having this spring welcomed Tolmount flows to the East Yorkshire terminal. It is also converting a former gas-fired power station in the North Lincolnshire town to a giant battery operation.
New Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps said: “While Britain already has secure and diverse energy supplies, this new government will leave no stone unturned when it comes to bolstering our energy security. The reopening of the Rough gas storage facility ahead of the winter will further strengthen the UK’s energy resilience and make us less susceptible to Putin’s manipulation of global gas supplies.”
Pressure on gas escalated due to Europe’s reliance on Russian supply. Coal-fired power stations including Drax have agreed to maintain back-up options to bolster security.
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