A North Sea storage facility that can hold enough gas to meet 10 days’ winter demand will be recommissioned next month after sign-off from the Health & Safety Executive.
Citing a ‘Whitehall source’ the Daily Telegraph said the Rough site, owned by British Gas's parent company Centrica, could be re-opened ‘in little more than a fortnight’.
Centrica and the Government must now agree on state support, while final consent must be given by the North Sea Transition Authority.
None of this is seen as problematic, according to the newspaper.
Britain’s largest gas storage facility has not been used for almost five years after being deemed to be at the end of its design life and has been used purely for production.
However, business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng asked it to be taken out of mothballs as the UK looks to ensure its energy security.
Centrica is expected to re-open Rough for storage in stages and it is unlikely to exceed a quarter of its capacity during the key winter period.
A spokesman told the Telegraph: “The safe operation of Rough is always our main priority.
“We have operated this asset for decades and know it very well. Significant investment in the asset has continued following the decision to cease storage in 2017.
“The main reason we could return Rough is that we would increase its capacity in phases, ahead of each winter, so that we can carry out any required work to allow capacity to be increased safely.”