National Grid warns of new gas shortage

11th Jan 2010 16:18

Cold weather has delayed gas imports from Norway, reducing Britain's reserves of stored gas to just six hours and forcing National Grid to issue another gas shortage alert.Supplies from Norwegian Sea gas field Ormen Lange, which is capable of providing a fifth of the UK's gas, were stopped by energy giant Shell due to freezing weather.Gas and electricity pipeline operator National Grid called for extra supplies as it warned of a gas shortage for the fourth time this year.Shell, which shut Ormen Lange on Saturday, says it doesn't know when supplies from the field will resume. Enough gas to meet about a tenth of UK demand had been expected to arrive earlier today.But National Grid says the shortfall should be made up by extra imports from the North Sea, more imports of liquefied natural gas and other gas via pipelines.