Centrica reaches £ 20 billion to import gas from Norway until 2035

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Centrica reached a deal worth 20 billion pounds to buy gas from Norway during the next decade, indicating that the United Kingdom will continue to rely on fossil fuel imports while exploring in the North Sea.

the energy The group will buy 5 billion cubic meters of gas from the country’s timing in Norway every year from October to 2035-the equivalent of about 9 percent of gas requirements in the United Kingdom last year and enough to supply 5 million homes.

The Centrica’s Equinor deal is about half the amount it bought annually over the past three years, but about the previous deal in 2015.

The ministers want to reduce the use of total gas in the UK to reduce emissions.

The deal includes a item that allows the replacement of natural gas supplies to hydrogen from hydrogen production projects in the United Kingdom in belief, if the hydrogen market, which does not emit carbon dioxide when it is burned, is at the end.

Hydrogen was described as a low carbon source for heating for UK homes, but the ministers focus on trying to get families to install electrical heat pumps instead.

However, the development of the hydrogen market was slower than expected, both companies said on Thursday.

Anders Opal, CEO of Equinor, said the deal is “very important for energy security.” “The spotlight remains because of our friends in Norway,” added Chris Ochia, CEO of Centrica.

Britain is increasingly dependent on gas imports as it is progressing in the North Sea basin, which is accelerated by the UK government plan for not issuing new exploration licenses and developing solar energy and solar energy instead.

Last year, the UK imported about 10.4 billion pounds of gas, or more than two -thirds of the total gas demand, with more than 50 percent of its imports of Norway.

Centrica has bought a gas from Equinor since 2005.

5 BCM will be provided with the current deal of Gasfields in Norwegian waters, although Equinor also produces gas on the UK side of the North Sea.

Centrica pays the UK government to support it to renew the harsh gas storage site in the North Sea, which it hopes to use in the long term to store hydrogen instead of natural gas.

O ageea complained that the site is losing money, but it needs to stay open to increase energy security. The UK has a rare energy storage compared to European peers, and at the beginning of the year Centrica issued a warning that storage reserves have decreased to less than a week.

The UK gets most of the gas on the basis of “timely” through pipelines to the North Sea, the European Union, Norway, and ships from all over the world, including the United States. This leaves it open to the short -term fluctuations.