NEPTUNE Energy has welcomed the UK Government’s decision to widen the gas entry specification limit, which will enable more North Sea gas to enter the country’s National Transmission System (NTS).
The move will reduce the UK’s reliance on higher carbon, higher cost and less secure imported gas, supporting the Government’s aim of energy independence by 2040.
Currently, significant volumes of gas produced in the UK North Sea fall just outside the existing specification and must be blended with higher specification gas before entering the NTS for supply to UK homes and businesses. Widening the specification removes the need for blending, unlocks additional supplies of domestically produced gas, and brings the UK in line with many other countries in Europe with high gas demand, including Germany, the Netherlands and Poland.
Neptune Energy’s UK Country Director, Alan Muirhead, said: “When enacted, the change will remove decades-old constraints on the energy industry that curtailed the supply of lower carbon North Sea gas. It will enable Neptune to export more gas from our operated Cygnus gas facility in the UK southern North Sea, which is capable of supplying 6 percent of the UK’s gas demand – enough to heat two million homes.
“Moreover, it sends a positive signal to UK gas producers, encouraging infrastructure investments that can unlock additional gas supplies in the future.”
The updated gas entry specification is due to take effect in April 2025. Further information is available via the HSE website here.
