The UK’s imports of natural gas in the latest three months of 2012 were 8.3 per cent lower than a year ago. Exports were less than half at 20.9 TWh for the same three month period, and were at their lowest since 2004, whereas net imports of gas were 28.5 per cent higher.
Pipeline imports from the Netherlands were 17.8 per cent lower than a year ago, due to maintenance activity in September 2012, and imports from Norway were 20.9 per cent higher. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) imports in the latest three months of 2012 were less than half than in the same period a year ago. LNG imports accounted for 18.0 per cent of total imports compared with 39.1 per cent a year ago.
The Bacton-Zeebrugge Interconnector moved into full import mode on 10 October 2012 whereas it was in full export mode throughout the same three month period a year ago. In the first two months of the gas winter, October and November 2012, net physical imports of gas via the Interconnector with Belgium, at 8.6 TWh, exceeded the previous Interconnector record of 6.0 TWh for the same two months of 2004.
[mappress] LNG World News Staff, February 5, 2013; Image: Dragon LNG