IOG delivers first gas in new North Sea project
IOG has produced “first gas” last weekend from its Blythe well off the coast of East Anglia.
The independent energy company revealed gas from the well started flowing into its UK grid on Sunday.
Elgood – a second gas grid – is also due to start producing within days.
The gas from both grids will flow into Bacton, on the Norfolk coast, and meet demand in the southeast and then the rest of the UK.
Both grids are part of its Saturn Banks project, which has been set up to create a new production hub in the Southern North Sea.
Development of another field, Nailsworth, is expected to begin this year, and would produce gas towards the end of 2023.
IOG chair Fiona MacAulay said: “With heightened energy security risks across Europe and the continued urgency of the energy transition, there has never been a more important time to bring new UK gas resources onstream. This is especially true of IOG’s gas which has far lower carbon intensity than imports.”
The finding of the new field was also welcomed by Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), which represents the UK offshore industry.
It argued the new field demonstrated the vital role of the UK Continental Shelf in supporting the nation’s energy security during the current global energy crisis.
Jenny Stanning, external relations manager at OEUK, said: “This new source of gas, from the UK’s own waters, boosts our energy security at time when the Ukraine crisis has reminded us of the urgency and importance of maintaining our own energy supplies.”
Currently, 24m households heat their homes with gas which also produces about 40 per cent of the country’s electricity.
IOG’s announcement coincided with today’s Downing Street meeting between Boris Johnson and leaders of the UK’s offshore oil and gas industry.
Both parties discussed how the UK might reduce its reliance on Russian energy following the invasion of Ukraine, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirming his support for the sector.