Britain faces less than a week’s gas supply as a cold snap hits
The closure of Russian pipelines through Ukraine, coupled with recent weather patterns, has left gas reserves "concerningly low".
Britain’s gas supplies have dropped to critically low levels, with less than a week’s worth of storage remaining, according to Centrica, the owner of British Gas. The combination of plunging temperatures and high demand has placed immense pressure on the country’s energy reserves this winter.
A Centrica spokesperson highlighted the challenges, stating: “The ongoing colder-than-usual conditions in the UK, combined with the end of Russian gas pipeline supplies through Ukraine on December 31, 2024, have significantly reduced gas inventory levels across the UK.” As of January 9, 2025, the UK’s gas storage sites are 26% lower than last year’s inventory at the same time, leaving them approximately half full. This equates to less than a week’s worth of gas demand in reserve.
In response, a No. 10 spokesperson reassured the public: “We are confident we will have sufficient gas supply and electricity capacity to meet demand this winter, thanks to our diverse and resilient energy system. We are in regular communication with the national energy system operator to monitor energy security and ensure they have the necessary tools to secure supply if needed.”
Low gas supplies are not unique to the UK, as European storage is also under strain. Current European storage levels are at 69% capacity, down from 84% at the same time last year. However, the UK has faced additional challenges due to its relatively small storage capacity, which is about 10% of that in France, Germany, or the Netherlands.
Centrica’s Rough facility, the largest gas storage site in the UK, has experienced a 20% drop in gas levels compared to the same period last year. Located under the North Sea off England’s east coast, Rough’s limited capacity has further exposed the UK to the effects of fluctuating supply and demand.
European gas prices have surged to a 13-month high, driven by colder weather and intensified global competition for liquefied natural gas (LNG). The UK’s reliance on LNG has grown since the start of the Ukraine war, exacerbated by the expiration of the Russia-Ukraine transit deal on January 1, which had allowed Russian gas to flow to parts of Europe.
Chris O’Shea, Centrica’s chief executive, underscored the importance of energy storage: “Energy storage ensures homes stay warm and the lights stay on when renewable sources like solar and wind are unavailable. Investing in storage capacity is an economically sensible decision and a crucial insurance policy for the UK.”
He continued: “The UK is an outlier in Europe regarding the role of storage in its energy system, and we are now witnessing the consequences of that. If Rough had been operating at full capacity in recent years, UK households could have saved £100 on both their gas and electricity bills each winter.”
O’Shea also called for government support to upgrade and expand Rough’s capacity. “We are ready to invest £2 billion of our own funds to redevelop the Rough gas storage facility, but this requires the cap-and-floor model recently announced for long-duration energy storage to be extended to Rough. With this support, we can create thousands of new construction jobs and safeguard a critical national asset. Without it, UK consumers will continue to face unnecessarily high energy bills.”
