Gas supplies are dropping to ‘concerningly low’ levels (Picture: Getty Images)
The UK has ‘less than a week’s worth of gas left’ as temperatures drop to freezing levels, British Gas has warned.
Brits slept through the coldest night in 15 years last night, meaning gas supplies are dropping to ‘concerningly low’ levels.
Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, said: ‘Plunging temperatures and high demand for gas-fired power stations have reduced UK winter gas storage to concerningly low levels.’
Is the UK running out of gas?
Centrica said storage sites are 26% less than they were at the same time last year, leaving them around half empty.
Chris O’Shea, group chief executive of Centrica, said: ‘We are an outlier from the rest of Europe when it comes to the role of storage in our energy system and we are now seeing the implications of that.’
Centrica said storage sites are 26% less than they were at the same time last year(Picture: PA)
But the prime minister’s spokesperson said the government is confident the UK has ‘sufficient gas supply and electricity capacity to meet demand this winter’.
They said: ‘We speak regularly with the National Energy System Operator to monitor our energy security and ensure they have all tools at their disposal if needed to secure our supply.’
Will my gas supply be affected?
The Government and Centrica have assured customers there is enough gas to go around and to meet winter demand.
National Gas, which owns the UK gas network, said the UK gets its gas from ‘a diverse range of sources’ and storage ‘remains healthy’.
Energy analysts have also said if gas storage was running too low, the UK could buy from other countries in Europe.
What has caused the gas shortage?
Both the freezing temperatures and the end of Russian gas pipeline supplies through Ukraine has placed a strain on the UK’s supplies.
‘Stubbornly high’ gas prices has also made it more difficult to increase storage over Christmas.
Centrica said: ‘The ongoing colder-than-usual conditions in the UK combined with the end of Russian gas pipeline supplies through Ukraine on December 31 has meant that gas inventory levels across the UK are down.
‘As of January 9, UK storage sites are 26% lower than last year’s inventory at the same time. This means the UK has less than a week of gas demand in store.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
News Updates
Start your day with the biggest stories, direct to your inbox.