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Page added on March 22, 2013
Britain’s running out of gas: just how critical is it?
AS BRITAIN braces for another cold spell, The Times reveals the country has only two days supply of gas left in reserve. Are householders facing sharp price rises or something even worse?
Why are we using so much gas? People around the UK have been turning up their heating systems to cope with the coldest March weather in 50 years. Demand for gas has been “20 per cent higher” than usual, says The Times, and with snow and flooding again disrupting large areas of the country demand isn’t going to fall soon. Parts of the UK have been hit by blizzard conditions today and higher areas have been blanketed by up to 16 inches of snow.
Why are gas reserves so low? Two factors are at play: the “dwindling” supply of gas from the North Sea and the “limited” size of the UK’s gas storage facilities.
So, how much gas do we have? The UK’s gas storage facilities are 10 per cent full compared to 49 per cent this time last year. The Times says the country has only two days’ supply of gas in reserve, which means we are vulnerable if “a technical problem forced a North Sea gas field or an import pipeline to shut down”. The Guardian reports the UK could “theoretically” run out of gas completely by 8 April, forcing suppliers to turn to imports from Norway and Russia and forcing prices skywards.
Is the UK in a worse position than other EU countries? Unfortunately, yes. The North Sea isn’t producing as much gas as it used to and the UK is unable to stockpile as much as many of its EU neighbours. At full capacity, Britain’s gas storage infrastructure can hold a supply of 15 days compared with more than 100 days in France and Germany.
What does all this mean for power bills? They’re almost certainly going up – the question is by how much. If the UK has to import liquefied natural gas to make up a shortfall, price rises could be “exorbitant”, say analysts. Even if Britain manages to avoid disruption to the gas supply, “consumers will still end up paying for soaring wholesale gas prices through higher energy bills, which are already at a record level”, The Times says. ·
12 Comments on "Britain’s running out of gas: just how critical is it?"
Kenz300 on Fri, 22nd Mar 2013 6:52 pm
Might be time to think about diversifying their energy sources and types.
A mix that includes wind, solar, wave energy, geothermal and second generation biofuels made from algae, cellulose and waste can all be produced locally.
Energy and biofuels can now be made from trash or waste. Every landfill can be converted to produce energy, biofuels and recycled raw materials for new products.
It is time to stop the fixation on the fossil fuels of the past and move to the energy sources of the future.
John Orr on Fri, 22nd Mar 2013 8:51 pm
It took many years to generate fossil fuels…..unfortunately it takes many years for the UK government to do anything…..
If it’s any help to demonstrate our problems, the coalition party leader couldn’t tell the price of a litre of gasoline on a radio show!!!
Plantagenet on Fri, 22nd Mar 2013 10:19 pm
The UK should speed up its permit process for frakking so they can start generating their own domestic NG from tight shales.
Now that global warming is producing such cold winters, it is important that the UK have a dependable energy supply,.
Arthur on Sat, 23rd Mar 2013 12:38 am
Maybe Cameron should reconsider his threat of leaving the EU as most of his gas comes from the east, through EU territory.
PrestonSturges on Sat, 23rd Mar 2013 1:09 am
Is this related to the polar vortex practically collapsing due to global warming, causing the winter jet stream from the arctic to wander around wildly?
BillT on Sat, 23rd Mar 2013 3:12 am
Climate change means worse storms and colder weather in some areas and hotter, dryer summers in others. Or maybe both in the same area. The poles are warming faster than other areas so that will greatly affect the ocean currents and the jet stream that moves air around the planet and, in turn. the various weather patterns/climates. Some areas are setting new high temperature records and others are setting new lows, but the average for the whole world is always higher. Adjust.
GregT on Sat, 23rd Mar 2013 5:17 am
Plant,
The reason that the scientific community changed the term “Global Warming” to “Climate Change” was for people such as yourself.
Arthur on Sat, 23rd Mar 2013 6:41 am
22 march 2012 in Holland people were sitting on the beach.
22 march 2013 there is snow and ice.
Temperature difference: 20 degrees Celcius.
Global warming has a chilling quality about it.
BillT on Sat, 23rd Mar 2013 8:01 am
Ah, but it all evens out to a plus over time. The unpredictability is what destroys crops and countries. The Us is experiencing floods in one state and the state beside it is having serious drought. That’s the fun of it.
Arthur on Sat, 23rd Mar 2013 9:08 am
http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/9104/Het-weer/article/detail/3412969/2013/03/21/Koudste-maart-in-25-jaar.dhtml
March 2013 will likely be the coldest in 25 years.
March 2012 was almost the warmest in recorded history.
It looks like that the weather is becoming more extreme. Here everybody is fed up with the winter, including me.
luap on Sat, 23rd Mar 2013 11:29 am
lets face it…we are slowly fucking up the planet…killing the oceans and burning fossil fuels will eventually kill us all( add a few nuclear disasters) bye bye humans…
and what do we do about it…nothing..just keep inventing faster I-phones,bigger TVs and get in our cars to drive 4 mins away..round of applause for stupid humans
solar power was the answer..and may still be, also stop breading so much..too many mouths to feed will not help our situation…..
BillT on Sat, 23rd Mar 2013 11:40 am
Arthur, I can relate. I don’t like winter so I live where it doesn’t happen. The temperature range is about 20C – 35C. (70F – 95F) A dry season where it rains a bit every few days, and the rainy season where it rains for a while almost everyday, but not long and mostly in the late after noon. It’s an island nation so it is humid most of the time. At least I don’t have to worry about freezing to death…lol.