Centrica gives UK gas boost with reopening of Rough storage facility

The initial investment programme means the company has made its first injection of gas into the site in over five years and is able to store up to 30 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas over winter 2022/23.

According to Centrica, Rough is currently operating at around 20 per cent of its previous capacity this winter, making it the UK’s largest gas storage site and adding 50 per cent to the UK’s gas storage volume. Rough will inject gas into the facility when prices are low and put the gas back into the UK’s gas 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 natural gas and hydrogen.

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The UK has diverse gas supplies via connections with Norway and other European countries, plus LNG import terminals, but the country has some of the lowest levels of gas storage in Europe at nine days compared to Germany at 89 days, France at 103 days and the Netherlands at 123 days.