National Gas publishes 2022/23 Winter Review

The publication looks back at GB gas supply and demand behaviours for the previous winter and compares them with the scenarios and forecast information provided in the 2022/2023 Gas Winter Outlook published last October.

Below are some of the key findings from the publication:

• There were 59 out of 181 days during Winter 2022/2023[1] where gas was responsible for at least 40% of all electricity generation in Great Britain, playing a key role as a generation source whilst also providing crucial system flexibility during periods of low wind and solar.

• 7.6 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas was exported to Europe through our network, a record high and almost double that of the previous winter, largely due to the reduction in gas supplies to continental Europe from Russia following its invasion in Ukraine.

• Great Britain received record levels of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) deliveries - 15.7 bcm compared with 11.4 bcm in the previous winter, with Qatar & the USA being the primary suppliers.

• LDZ non-daily metered demand (typically residential, commercial or smaller industrial consumers) was 13% lower than in the previous winter, we believe as a result of changing consumer behaviour due to higher energy prices.

Ian Radley, Director of System Operations, commented:

“Winter 2022/2023 has highlighted the integral role that gas continues to play in the GB energy system, underpinning energy security both at home and in Europe. Our network performed throughout, ensuring that we were able to deliver the energy needed to heat homes, power British industry and facilitate secure electricity generation whilst providing essential flexibility to intermittent renewables. Importantly, our network also enabled record gas exports to Europe, helping to safeguard energy security on the continent.

“Despite the volatility in the global energy markets experienced last winter, GB was able to access flexible sources of supply including record levels of LNG, with the market arrangements that have historically delivered energy security for Britain continuing to do so.”

The Winter of 2022/2023 also included a demand day of 417 mcm during the “Troll from Trondheim” cold snap, the highest we’ve seen since the so-called ‘Beast from the East weather event five years ago.

As well as supply and demand behaviours, the publication also reviews, storage, network utilisation and our preparations and preliminary considerations for the winter to come. 

[1] Winter 2022/2023 refers to the 181-day period between 1^st October 2022 and 31^st March 2023