Britain approves deal to preserve gas import capacity of 83 million cubic metres a day
Key Facts
Britain's energy regulator Ofgem has approved an agreement between Interconnector and National Gas Transmission to preserve gas import capacity through the British-Belgian link and prevent a further planned reduction. According to the regulator's consultation document, the measure preserves total import capacity through the two European links of 83 million cubic metres a day during winter 2026/27. This includes 61 million cubic metres a day through the Interconnector pipeline covered by the agreement, plus capacity of 22 million cubic metres a day through the BBL pipeline. The arrangement preserves the ability to bring gas into Britain, but does not purchase gas or guarantee its availability or flow, according to Ofgem. The regulator describes the measure as a precaution against exceptional conditions, as domestic production declines and some infrastructure's capacity to import from Europe falls.
Ofgem said available import capacity through the European links had declined because of weak commercial incentives to import from Europe, alongside technical reductions in interconnection capacity. In an earlier announcement, Interconnector said its review of offered import capacity came amid rising fixed costs to maintain and operate its assets. The company added that it also faced uncertainty over demand for gas transportation capacity. The Interconnector pipeline links Britain's gas market with continental European markets and can transport gas in both directions, according to the company's description of its infrastructure. Against this backdrop, the regulatory approval aims to prevent a further planned reduction in transportation capacity from Belgium to Britain while preserving the import route provided by the pipeline.
The move comes as British gas production continues to decline, with Department for Energy Security and Net Zero data showing a 3.3% fall to 332 terawatt hours in 2025 compared with 2024. The decline continued in the second quarter of 2026, when production fell 6.5% to near its lowest recorded levels, according to the department's Energy Trends bulletin. On stored supplies, the department said in a parliamentary response that storage met 5% of total gas consumption in Great Britain during winter 2025/26. The government expects a similar contribution from storage this winter. Alongside meeting gas consumption, network operating requirements are linked to power stations' response to changes in renewable energy output. Ian Radley, chief commercial officer at National Gas, said: "Gas-fired power stations are increasingly required to respond rapidly as renewable energy output fluctuates, and the network must be able to support that safely and reliably."
Amid these pressures on production and import capacity, Jack Presley Abbott, Ofgem's director of energy systems and security, said "Britain's gas system remains secure". The regulator expects demand to be met under normal conditions. The infrastructure security standard tests the gas network's ability to accommodate a daily demand peak that statistically occurs once every 20 years, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The test requires that peak to be accommodated with the loss of the network's single largest infrastructure component. Preserving import capacity forms part of Ofgem's precautionary measure to address exceptional conditions.
On funding, Ofgem's impact assessment estimates an annual increase of about 1.19 pounds per household gas meter account as a result of the intervention to preserve Interconnector capacity. The regulator proposes recovering the arrangement's cost from gas users through the General Non-Transmission Services charge. Under the proposal, gas consumers alone would bear the cost, with no charge imposed on customers who do not use gas. The consultation covers amendments to National Gas's licence allowing it to recover the costs of preserving and, where necessary, restoring import capacity. The cost recovery mechanism has yet to be finalised, as the proposed amendments remain subject to consultation. Responses are due by 20 November 2026, after which Ofgem will review submissions before making its final decision.