Photo: ANP
The British government may halt natural gas exports to continental Europe if the energy crisis escalates further and the country faces gas shortages, reports the Financial Times business newspaper. The UK delivers gas to mainland Europe via pipelines to the Netherlands and Belgium.
According to the newspaper, this relates to the gas being transported through the so-called connecting tubes. The possible export freeze is part of a contingency plan by Britain’s National Utilities Network to prevent an imminent gas shortage. Other precautions include, for example, stopping the supply of gas to large industrial consumers and inviting households to use as little gas as possible. National Grid would like to stress-test that contingency plan in September.
The British government previously said that a real gas crisis was unlikely and that the country had one of the most reliable and diverse energy systems in the world. London has “full confidence” in its energy supply.
European gas companies have called on the United Kingdom to work with European Union countries to deal with the gas crisis. Russia has completely turned off the gas tap for many European countries and significantly reduced deliveries to Germany. As a result, there are concerns that the gas supply may not be sufficiently filled before winter.
