The UK’s gas storage capacity is set to rise by 15% after the government yesterday gave the go ahead for WINGAS Storage to convert its Saltfleetby onshore gas field into an underground gas storage facility.

Saltfleetby in Lincolnshire is the UK’s largest onshore gas field and will provide between 700m to 800m cubic metres of new gas storage capacity.

Energy Minister Charles Hendry said: “This new project will provide the UK with new and much-neededgas storage. As the UK becomes increasingly dependent on imported gas, this government has made it a priority to ensure secure gas supplies.

“We will introduce measures in the Energy Security and Green Economy Bill to encourage not onlymore gas storage, but greater gas import capacity to help ensure that our market will deliver gas when it is needed.”

Gas storage helps to meet seasonal and short-term peaks in demand as well as to respond to price volatility.

The Saltfleetby project will take natural gas from the National Transmission System at Theddlethorpe when demand for gas is low and then transport it via a pipeline to a new gas storage facility at Grayfleet East. The gas will then be compressed and injected into the partially depleted reservoir some 2.3km below ground level, where it could subsequently be withdrawn at times of high gas demand and returned via pipeline to the National Transmission System.