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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Nils Pratley

We may not be running out of gas but we still need a serious strategic gas reserve

An LNG (liquefied natural gas) ship
Liquefied natural gas supplies are disrupted because of the Iran war. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

Alarmed that Great Britain has only enough gas in storage to cover two days of consumption? Actually, Michael Shanks, the energy minister, is right that the bald statistic is not a reason to run for the hills. But he would help his case if he admitted that the long era of running a “just-in-time” approach to gas supplies looks increasingly unworkable.

Shanks is obviously correct that Great Britain does not source its supplies from storage. About 75% of our gas comes from the North Sea – from domestic fields and via the 725-mile underwater Langeled pipeline from Norway – and neither source is affected by the war in Iran.

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