The government has announced that it will not be investing in new gas storage facilities, stating this will save around £750m over 10 years.
It commissioned independent analysis from Redpoint, which showed the UK gas market continues to function well to meet current and future demand.
Gas storage provided just 7 per cent of total UK supply in 2012.
Current capacity allows for twice the amount of gas required in a normal winter, with no problems reported during the last winter and early spring this year.
The importance of gas storage is recognised by the government for providing flexibility within the system and helping when demand is high.
Ministers had considered whether intervening in the gas market to encourage more gas storage could improve security of supply without adding disproportionate costs to energy bills.
However, the analysis showed that the costs of intervention would far outweigh any benefit, resulting in government and consumers subsidising investment that large energy companies could pay for themselves.
Have your say
You must sign in to make a comment
Please remember that the submission of any material is governed by our Terms and Conditions and by submitting material you confirm your agreement to these Terms and Conditions. Links may be included in your comments but HTML is not permitted.