National Grid Indicates Half of Gas Consumed in Britain Will be Imported This Winter

National Grid, the company responsible for operating the UK’s gas and electricity networks, has announced that UK production of natural gas from the North Sea could be six percent lower this year from the 2008-2009 year.

These figures are worrisome has they will force Britain to import 50 percent of its gas supply from other countries, which include Norway, Trinidad, and Qatar. This number is almost double what the UK was importing from these countries in 2007, just two years prior.

Centrica, owner of British Gas, said that the UK’s gas fields, most of which first were tapped during the 1970s, cannot keep up with increasing demand any longer. Centrica has predicted that Britain will be forced to import up to 75 percent of its gas if current trends continue.

In 2003, less than a decade ago, Britain was exporting gas at a profit, however beginning in 2004, the country has been forced to import gas. In 2004, however, Britain only imported five percent of its gas supplies.

Now, National Grid is predicting that roughly 40 million cubic metres of natural gas are required to be imported to Britain every day during the winter months this year. Ten percent of these numbers will be used during peak winter weather. More imports are expected to be forced as well from Norway and Holland made via underground pipelines.

The decrease in the North Sea gas reserves is directly caused by the country’s increasing reliance on petrol for electricity generation, which increases significantly during winter time. About 35 percent of UK electricity is now supplied via gas-fired power facilities, which is a 30 percent increase from reliance in 1990.