Europe & Russia: Storage

The UK’s Rough gas storage facility has reopened for withdrawals, supporting flows to the market.

Centrica, Rough’s operator, announced at the end of November that the facility would reopen for withdrawals on 9 December – after having been delayed. The facility reopened for withdrawals on the afternoon of 9 December. The UK’s other storage facilities were well stocked at the start of December. However, storage levels at Rough – which closed for injections during the summer – are relatively low for the time of year. At the time of publication, the facility was around 40% full compared with 92% at the same time last year. The low level of Rough’s gas stocks has weighed on the UK’s overall storage position, with the country’s stocks around 50% full at the start of December compared with 89% at the same time last year.