Grid bosses issue gas supply alert

Jan 5 2010

The National Grid is warning power suppliers to use less gas after a 30% rise on normal seasonal demand during the cold snap.

National Grid (NG) issued a gas balancing alert (GBA) yesterday afternoon, only the second time that the mechanism has been used.

A spokesman said the alert had already proved effective and bosses were meeting again today to decide whether to issue a further GBA after the current warning expires at 6am.

GBAs are a way of warning customers to ease off on the fuel as well as encouraging suppliers to bring in more gas.

The grid has received extra gas from a terminal the Isle of Grain in Kent, and from Belgium and Norway.

A spokesman said that some power suppliers had stopped using gas on Monday afternoon which eased the pressure.

He added: "The big generators like E.ON have gas-fired power stations and coal-fired power stations. They can choose to switch from gas to coal.

"We thought there was going to be a certain amount of gas going into the country and then a few suppliers, their supplies dropped off.

"They weren't going to be able to provide the amount that we thought, so we issued a GBA so hopefully that's going to bring it back to where it should be."

The first time a GBA was used was in March 2006.