The government was not prepared to see British Steel turn off its furnaces, deeming them to be a critical asset for national security. So what is its security view on the UK’s capacity to store gas? In a time of trade wars, disrupted supply chains and suspected Russian sabotage in the Baltic Sea, are ministers happy for the country to go into next winter with only half the volume of stored gas of recent years?
The question was raised here a couple of months ago and is becoming urgent because Centrica, the owner of the Rough facility off the coast of Yorkshire that makes up half the UK’s gas storage capacity, this week quietly stopped refilling the site. The company cannot see a way to make a profit.
