º£½ÇÊÓƵ

Centrica has reopened its Rough storage facility, with the first injection of gas in more than five years taking place off the East Yorkshire coast.

Significant engineering upgrades have been completed over the summer, with permits obtained ahead of commissioning in recent weeks. It brings a huge boost to energy resilience over winter, easing fears over supply for the º£½ÇÊÓƵ - with gas crucial for domestic heating and power generation, as well as industry.

Rough, managed from Easington, is in a position to store up to 30 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas for º£½ÇÊÓƵ homes and businesses over winter 2022/23. Work done so far means it can operate at around 20 per cent of its previous capacity this winter, immediately making it the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s largest gas storage site once again and adding 50 per cent to the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s capacity.

Read more: Humber vision 'has the world's attention' as investors and government pore over £15b pipeline

Bosses said it will help to balance the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s gas market, injecting gas into the facility when prices are low and putting that gas back into the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s gas network when demand is higher.

The º£½ÇÊÓƵ has diverse gas supplies with connections with Norway and other European countries and a number of LNG import terminals. However, it still has some of the lowest levels of gas storage in Europe at nine days, compared to Germany at 89 days, France at 103 days and the Netherlands at 123 days. The flexibility in Rough allows cheaper gas to be stored ready for winter, helping to reduce or stabilise costs for º£½ÇÊÓƵ energy consumers.

Centrica group chief executive, Chris O’Shea, said “I’m delighted that we have managed to return Rough to storage operations for this winter following a substantial investment in engineering modifications. Our long-term aim remains to turn the Rough field into the world’s biggest methane and hydrogen storage facility, bolstering the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s energy security, delivering a net zero electricity system by 2035, decarbonising the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s industrial clusters, such as the Humber region by 2040, and helping the º£½ÇÊÓƵ economy by returning to being a net exporter of energy.

"In the short term we think Rough can help our energy system by storing natural gas when there is a surplus and producing this gas when the country needs it during cold snaps and peak demand. Rough is not a silver bullet for energy security, but it is a key part of a range of steps which can be taken to help the º£½ÇÊÓƵ this winter.”