Gas Storage Plunges to “Concerningly Low Levels”
January 11, 2025
By Paul Homewood
Not only did we come perilously close top blackouts this week, but our reserves of gas are also dangerously low:
Plunging temperatures and high demand for gas fired power stations have reduced UK winter gas storage to concerningly low levels.
The UK’s gas storage is under pressure this winter as the UK battles both extreme cold and high gas prices. The ongoing colder-than-usual conditions in the UK combined with the end of Russian gas pipeline supplies through Ukraine on 31 December 2024 has meant that gas inventory levels across the UK are down. As of the 9th of January 2025, UK storage sites are 26% lower than last year’s inventory at the same time, leaving them around half full. This means the UK has less than a week of gas demand in store.
Gas storage was already lower than usual heading into December as a result of the early onset of winter. Combined with stubbornly high gas prices, this has meant that it has been more difficult to top up storage over Christmas.
The situation is echoed across Europe. By 7 January 2025, despite many countries mandating minimum storage levels ahead of winter, European storage was at 69% capacity, down from 84% at the same time the previous year. The UK’s total gas storage capacity is around 10 per cent or less than in France, Germany, or the Netherlands.
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2025/01/11/gas-storage-plunges-to-concerningly-low-levels/
