Where Britain gets its gas from

Source: Construction Digital

Date :30/04/2007 13:23:42

Until recently, supplies of gas from beneath the North Sea were sufficient for all of Britain's domestic needs.

Indeed, Britain exported gas to continental Europe through an undersea pipeline from Bacton in Norfolk to Belgium.

Now all that has changed. Dwindling supplies from the North Sea mean that Britain is now importing around 10% of its gas.

The imported gas arrives via the pipeline to Belgium, which is in turn linked to a network of pipes which criss-cross Europe.

A small amount of gas is also imported as liquefied natural gas (LNG) via a terminal on the Isle of Grain, in Medway, Kent, which was opened last year.

As North Sea production continues to fall, these imports are going to rise rapidly.

It's estimated that by 2010 half of Britain's gas will be imported. And by 2020, existing North Sea gas fields will be supplying only 10% of our gas needs.

So where will the new imports come from? The answer lies in a huge construction programme which is already under way.