1. UK Procurement of
NATURAL
GASIn 2014 we used 70 billion cubic meters of Natural Gas.
That is enough to fill 28,000 Olympic swimming pools!
Unfortunately we cannot produce that much in the UK.
Why the UK needs more Biomethane
Pipelines
44%
Is imported from the EU
(via Belgium), Norway and The
Netherlands from these pipelines.
Tanker
13%
Is imported in Liquid form using Liquid
Natural Gas tankers, mostly from Qatar.
UK Production
43%
Is extracted from deposits in the
East Irish Sea and the North Sea.
Biomethane
<0.5%
Is injected into the grid by upgrading the biogas
formed from waste products such as manure,
food or sewage during Anaerobic Digestion. It
contains similar volumes of methane as natural
gas and can be used as a substitute.
Imported
57%
Of the UK’s demand was imported in
2014. This is set to rise to 70% by 2019.
By producing more biomethane in the UK, we can effectively utilize waste
products, create renewable gas and reduce our reliance on foreign imports of
natural gas. This will increase our energy security and reduce UK consumption
of natural gas. The excess could be exported to other countries as required.
Increased biomethane production will contribute to worldwide sustainability
goals. These include reducing waste, producing renewable energy and
reducing CO2 and pollutant emissions.
Sources: British Gas Website and Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association 2015 Market Report
Author: Robert White, PhD Researcher, University of Leeds. pmrww@leeds.ac.uk