Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry has told the BEIS Committee that her department is investigating gas supply flexibility. In a letter published by the BEIS Committee in March, Perry said that following a workshop in March 2018 to present the BEIS report on gas security from October 2017, the department decided to prioritise investigating gas supply flexibility and the interactions between the gas and electricity systems during times of system stress. BEIS is currently undertaking industry interviews with a view to completing them during Q1 2019. Perry said that she “would be happy to write to the Committee in the autumn” to share the conclusions of that investigation and the investigation into how gas and electricity interact. Additionally, the Committee published a letter from Storengy on 20 March in which the company expressed concerns about the “absence of investment” in the gas storage sector and the closure of several sites including Rough. Storengy highlighted that the UK’s current storage capabilities “are only a fraction” of what was anticipated in the DECC’s 2014 Risk Assessment on Security of Gas Supply.
BEIS Committee – Perry letter
BEIS Committee – Storengy letter