No gas?

[Nutmeg]

I am reading a lot about running out of gas.
The papers are saying that we only have two days storage and that we could lose electricitty.
I heat by gas but without electricity the boiler does not work.
Has anyone else read about this or is it scaremongering.
Meg

[Tarrel]

It is most certainly not scaremongering. A lot depends on the weather over the next week or so. If rationing happens, industrial customers will be hit first (and yes, this could include power generation). Domestic consumers will be asked to cut back on consumption.

Part of the problem is that a lot of coal-fired generating capacity is being taken out of service in order to meet Government CO2 emission targets. Just yesterday, the Didcot coal fired power station was closed down. This does increase our reliance on gas.

Get a camping stove and some extra blankets ready.

[Nutmeg]

(23 March 2013, 09:54)Tarrel Wrote: It is most certainly not scaremongering. A lot depends on the weather over the next week or so. If rationing happens, industrial customers will be hit first (and yes, this could include power generation). Domestic consumers will be asked to cut back on consumption.

Part of the problem is that a lot of coal-fired generating capacity is being taken out of service in order to meet Government CO2 emission targets. Just yesterday, the Didcot coal fired power station was closed down. This does increase our reliance on gas.

Get a camping stove and some extra blankets ready.

Already got those things thank you.
I hope it will not go on for too long though.
I also think that my gas bill will go up.
I wish I had a coal fire.
Meg

[bigpaul]

if the weather continues we will run out of STORED gas, we will then have to rely on IMPORTED gas.

[Nutmeg]

Isn't all our gas imported then?
Meg

[Scythe13]

As BP said, our 'stores' of gas are only a few days worth.

Think of it as a petrol station. They have huge amounts of petrol stored in their underground tanks. Imagine if they had a reserve storage area. That reserve is only 2 days worth, but the main tanks on the forecourt are regularly being used and topped up.

I'd probably opt for it being hyped into an interesting story, when really there's nothing much going on.


Not all our gas is imported though Meg. There is a load we get from off shore drilling and up around Scotland (but I don't consider that imported though haha).

[iaaems]

The front page of the Daily Mail is suggesting 'gas rationing'. Have not had time to read it yet - other half gets first look as she pays for it - but locally the situation here seems daft. We have Bacton just up the road which was shut down yesterday because of a pump failure or something. That means that the national gas grid was put under pressure to supply. It would seem that this pipe supplies gas from Belgium. Our most local power station is gas powered with, I am led to believe, gas from Bacton. It would seem that it has its own gas pipe which I presume means that hopefully in a gas shortage situation they would still supply the power station so that the electric stays on. All the eggs in one basket seems to fit the bill here.

[Highlander]

....and Meg, if the gas does get turned off at source , please remember to turn the gas OFF at your switch,... or you run the risk of being overcome if someone forgets to tell you when its back on

[Tarrel]

The lost imported gas due to yesterday's failure at Bacton represents 4% of our remaining storage (i.e. we used 4% of the remaining storage in order to maintain supply at sufficient levels to meet demand). (Source: National Grid website).

As I understand it, the "one and a half day's supply" in storage represents what would happen if all supply sources were cut off and we had to rely purely on the long term storage for our gas. Of course, this isn,t normally the case. However, in Winter, demand usually exceeds supply. In summer, supply exceeds demand, so we put the excess into storage to cover the shortfall in winter. The long term storage is actually exhausted north sea gas fields into which we pump the excess gas. So, it's normal for the gas in storage to run down as the winter progresses. It's just that several factors have combined to create a situation which is a bit "tight";
1. A power failure in Norway a week or so ago, which reduced the supply to us
2. Yesterday's pump failure at Bacton
3. The late cold snap, which has increased demand
4. High demand for ship-transported liquified natural gas from the rest of the world, which has reduced supply to us.

This situation has been monitored and commented on in some of the peak oil forums over the last few weeks, and is not "news". It's just that it has now hit the mainstream media.

[Nutmeg]

So no need for me to worry then Tarrel,
We won't run out of gas, there will be no electricity cuts.
That's a relief.
Quilt taken off the sofa and put away.