Britain’s supply of natural gas is growing tighter as winter storms hit the country, sending demands to skyrocket along with fears the country’s fuel supply may run out.
National Grid, the gas pipeline system operator, issued a “gas deficit warning” Thursday morning as fuel demand hits a six-year high. Government officials are begging natural gas producers to ramp up supply to stave off a projected 48 million cubic meter fuel shortfall. Britain uses an average of 198 million cubic meters a day, according to the Daily Mail.
UPDATE 1/2 : Due to the extremely cold weather we are seeing very high demand for gas so this morning we issued a ‘Gas Deficit Warning’ which is a notice to the gas market that we would like more gas to be made available.
— National Grid Media (@Grid_Media) March 1, 2018
2/2 This is a situation we are prepared for & a Deficit Warning is part of our toolkit in extreme weather to make sure we balance gas supply & demand. Protecting customer supplies is our 1st priority & we would like to reassure people that their domestic gas will not be affected
— National Grid Media (@Grid_Media) March 1, 2018
Factories across the country are preparing to cut back or entirely shut down to conserve fuel for use in homes and necessary infrastructure. Without businesses taking steps to reduce fuel usage, the National Grid could run out for the first time in a decade. Participating businesses will be well-compensated off consumer bills, the Telegraph reports.
Already, the market price for gas has soared to a 12-year high. The National Grid paid one supplier six times the usual price of gas to guarantee a higher supply.
The United Kingdom is expected to be slammed between the “Beast from the East,” freezing winds out of Siberia that has caused temperatures to plummet across Europe, and Storm Emma moving in from the Atlantic. England’s Met Office has issued its first ever “danger to life” alert for snow and ice, according to The Telegraph.
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