British Gas owner Centrica PLC (LSE:CNA) said it has reopened its Rough gas storage facility, increasing the UK’s storage capacity by 50% and "boosting the UK’s energy resilience.”
Following a summer of engineering upgrades, the FTSE 100-listed company said it made its first injection of gas into the site in over five years and can store up to 30bn cubic feet of gas.
Rough is currently operating at 20% of its previous capacity, said Centrica, making it the UK’s largest gas storage facility.
British Gas’s owner said Rough will balance the UK’s gas market, injecting gas when prices are low and putting gas back into the network when demand is higher.
Centrica said its long-term aim is to turn the Rough gas field into the “largest long-duration energy storage facility in Europe, capable of storing both natural gas and hydrogen.”
“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 UK this winter,” said Centrica chief executive Chris O’Shea in a statement.
The UK lags behind the rest of Europe when it comes to gas storage, with nines days of reserves compared to 89 days in Germany, 103 days in France and 123 days in the Netherlands.