Gas Storage Plunges to “Concerningly Low Levels” – Watts Up With That?

From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood

Not only did we come perilously close top blackouts this week, but our reserves of gas are also dangerously low:

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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. 
As energy demand spikes due to the freezing weather, the UK has seen a particular strain on its gas storage. Despite being full ahead of winter, current gas inventory at Rough, the country’s largest gas storage site, which is operated by Centrica, is 20% lower than at the same time last year. Rough has played a crucial role so far this winter by supplying almost 420 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas since early November, enough to heat three million homes every day. 

https://www.centrica.com/media-centre/news/2025/perfect-storm-reduces-uk-winter-gas-storage-to-concerningly-low-levels

Natural gas still supplies over a third of the UK’s energy, seven times as much as wind and solar:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/digest-of-uk-energy-statistics-dukes-2024

But in winter months, gas consumption can double or even triple from summer time, as power demand increases and heating is switched on.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gas-section-4-energy-trends#full-publication-update-history

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Average gas consumption over the year averages around 175 mcm/day, but the forecast for today is 363 mcm:

https://data.nationalgas.com/gas-system-status

Little wonder then that gas stocks get depleted. As of yesterday, we had 18752 of natural gas and 10365 GWh of liquified gas in store, enough for seven day’s consumption. This however is misleading, as it implies there will be no gas supplied.

https://data.nationalgas.com/gas-system-status

What is perhaps a more meaningful indicator is that we get about 200 mcm/day from the North Sea, both own production and import from Norway. This can reasonably be regarded as a secure supply.

With demand running at 363 mcm/day, that means we need to import 163 mcm/day of LNG, a big increase on the annual average of 50 mcm/day. Our gas storage of about 2600 mcm therefore represents sixteen days of LNG imports.

If we have not got enough gas in storage, we have to pay through the nose for imports in winter, when prices peak.

But of much greater concern is what will happen when North Sea gas production drops away. Demand for natural gas will still remain high in winter for many years to come – we still need it to heat our homes and generate electricity in weeks like this one. Banning further North Sea development, as Miliband wants, will simply make us ever more reliant on imported LNG, something that will not only cost money but also endanger our energy security.

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