In interesting update on the re opening of Rough storage facility.

Re-opening Rough: what are the prospects for gas storage this winter? - Watt-Logic

It does read that the existing pipework and wells have in the common parlance 'had it' so attempts to run it this winter will be low pressure and lower peak flow. But there already is a 4 year £1.6billion plan to drill new wells and lay new piping on the ocean floor - originally published  in 2021-  that was assuming we would eventually transition to using  it for storage of hydrogen generated by electrolysis during  windfarm over-production. I assume that the initial  steps in that refurbishment  plan, namely lay new pipes, drill new holes and dump cement in the leaky ones will be the same steps required to use it to store methane at pressure again.

there has also been talk of using captured CO2 as a cushion to raise the production pressure, and double up as CO2 storage.

I agree with the tone though - running it this winter before any of that has been done is an example of  'bangernomics' possibly in more than one sense if the wrong decision is called.

Mike.

Re opening the Rough gas storage facility for this winter seems rather unlikely given the safety and regulatory concerns. And even if it was achieved, this might not help much. From where is the gas to fill it going to come ?

Filling storage with gas to todays high prices, does in effect "lock in" these high prices when the gas is withdrawn from storage.

The whole point of storage is to fill it when prices are low and to withdraw it when prices are high.

It is more likely to be used as a slow producer, just gently running it down, perhaps to smooth our the ripples between LNG delivery ships.
Oh for the halycon days when gas and oil flowed out from the sea faster then we could burn it and we had great wealth from exports and could have done anything with it. 
ah. oh dear.

Mike.

We have had 40+ years to deal with the end of oil and gas.  Successive governments have ignored the issue and fossil fuel companies have pushed disinformation and lobbing.

My guess is both oil and gas will gradually get more expensive as they become scarcer.  So nuclear rehabs must be made urgently like yesterday.

New housing must be fully insulated with solar panel tiling replacing ceramic or clay tiles.  Houses to be designed to run off a 48 to 55 volt DC battery as grid electric charging power will be intermittent only. 

The technical challenge is how to get Sahara solar power to us economically.

Getting solar produced electricity from the Sahara to the UK is well within the capabilities of current HVDC transmission. The problems are more political and human than technical.

The region is known for coups, revolutions, wars, and general poor governance. Whom is going to risk billions of dollars on a facility that is vulnerable to confiscation by the next government or to destruction in the next war. And of course the European hard left would demand that the electricity be given to the local poor, rather than being "taken away" to the profit of western capitalists.

Dad, did we buy more candles and camping stove gas?

UK government planning 'days of blackouts' this winter under 'worst-case scenario' (msn.com)

Z.

Possible in my view, though the headline is unduly alarming as it implies that the power could be off continually for days. Some days of rota power cuts are in my view possible. And perhaps for more than a few days.

And yes I do have bottled gas and candles.

Candles, several thousand.

Bottled gas, 3 cylinders each 19 kilos of propane and a fourth one about half full. A dozen disposable gas cartridges also.

Tilley lamps, Alladin oil lamps, Duplex oil lamps, hurricane lamps. a hundred litres of paraffin.

U.P.S. with extended run time battery.

Long life foods. including Doomfood.

Long underwear, wool blankets.

Logs, coal, charcoal.

And other supplies too tedious to list.

Is it likely?

".....people will learn to always have electronic items fully charged, and will stock up on additional charger packs. They will start getting dressed faster in the morning to stay warm, and may buy electric blankets if they can't fully heat their homes."

Z.

Britain faces threat of rolling blackouts as electricity rationing becomes ‘load shedding’ (msn.com)