Offshore staff
WINDSOR, UK — Centrica has increased gas storage capacity at the Rough gas storage facility, the largest in the UK, situated 18 m off the Yorkshire coast in the southern North Sea.
The complex/subsurface reservoir, converted from a former gas production center, ceased storing gas in 2017 but was reopened for this purpose last October due to concerns over energy shortages. Rough currently accounts for half of the UK’s total gas storage, the company added.
When it was reopened, the storage capacity was close to 30 Bcf, but following further engineering work, it can now hold up to 54 Bcf of gas.
While the UK can access gas outside its own offshore production centers via pipeline connections with Norway and other European countries and three LNG import terminals, it still has some of Europe’s lowest levels of gas storage, averaging 12 days’ supplies or sufficient for 7.5 peak winter days.
That compares, Centrica said, to 89 days for Germany, 103 days for France and 123 days for the Netherlands. With the latest measures, Rough can now store up to six days of average UK gas consumption.
Over the longer term, the company is seeking to turn the Rough gas field into a long-duration low-carbon energy storage facility, capable of storing both gas and hydrogen.
Centrica Group CEO Chris O’Shea said, “Rough is not a silver bullet for energy security, but it plays a critical role in increasing capacity and supply confidence over the winter months…
“We stand ready to invest £2 billion [$2.53 billion] to repurpose 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, creating 5,000 skilled jobs and decarbonizing the UK’s industrial clusters by 2040. But to do this we need the right regulatory support framework. This world class North Sea asset has the potential to help the UK economy return to a position of being a net exporter of energy once again.”
06.30.2023
