As part of those efforts, Kwarteng has already written to the operators of the last remaining coal-fired power plants in the country and told the National Grid to look for more non-gas source generation capacity.
The business secretary also suggested that he be open to extending the life of the Hinkley Point B nuclear power plant beyond its scheduled closure this summer, but as a blow to those hopes, EDF, the plant’s owner, to say it was too late.
An EDF spokesman said that while an extension is technically feasible, there is not enough time to carry out the necessary security measures and ensure regulatory approval in time for the winter.
A Whitehall source suggested that Rough’s case had also been bolstered by the recent excess of liquefied natural gas (LNG) flowing into British terminals.
It has come so far that prices have dropped and ships have been scrapped, with export pipelines to Europe running smoothly and no other place to store them.
They added: “If we had more gas storage, that wouldn’t be a problem.”
It is understood that Centrica is confident that it could secure the investment needed to reopen Rough, but only if the government agrees to provide regulatory support, possibly through a “limit and ground” mechanism that guarantees a minimum return on investment. company.
In the past, Chris O’Shea, CEO of Centrica, also suggested that much of the cost could be paid by consumers through their bills, under what is known as the core regulated asset model.
The company says Rough could initially be used to store natural gas before being reused for a mixture of gas and hydrogen, or just hydrogen in the future.
The company closed Rough in 2017 because it had become too expensive to maintain without state support.
Previously, the facility accounted for 70% of Britain’s natural gas storage capacity.
Tom Edwards, a senior modeler at Cornwall Insight, said having security supplies in Rough could provide an additional source of gas to the market during the winter months, making it less vulnerable to sudden price fluctuations.
He added: “Having this flexibility on your doorstep is helpful. It’s an insurance policy, because it gives you the seasonal flexibility to deal with unexpected changes in demand and supply.”
The government has also held separate talks on reviving plans to store gas in vast salt caverns under the Irish Sea, although it is understood that they are a lower priority because the scheme, called the Gateway project, has been to build from scratch.
It would involve using caves southwest of Barrow-in-Furness to store 1.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas or hydrogen, according to Stag Energy.