James Wild MP visits King’s Lynn National Gas Compressor Station playing a key role in UK and international energy security
James has visited King’s Lynn National Gas Compressor Station which is playing an important role in delivering energy security to the South East and through Europe.
The Compressor station is one of only 23 across Great Britain operated by National Gas Transmission which owns, manages, and operates the National Transmission System (NTS), making gas available when and where it's needed.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Compressor Station has played a vital role in supporting European countries by exporting 4x more gas through Bacton than usual in the last year. Gas supplies have been a key issue for many countries, and the work in King’s Lynn has helped to mitigate the effects of Russian attempts to manipulate the control of gas in Europe and the rising cost.
Operators Director Nick Sides explained the integral role that King’s Lynn plays in the movement of gas. Approximately, 42% of Great Britain’s energy is generated by gas with this being moved through various compressor stations. National Gas has an integral role in the gas market, providing infrastructure support, being a market operator and developing emergency arrangements.
Looking forward, National Gas explained its commitment to deliver a net zero future with the ambition through Project Union to connect, enable net zero and empower a UK hydrogen economy, repurposing existing transmission pipelines to create a hydrogen ‘backbone’ for the UK by the early 2030s. Low carbon hydrogen is required in net zero scenarios.
With a future of increased electrification for power generation and storage, low carbon hydrogen will be needed for when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine. The offshore wind farms located off the East Anglian coast, provides considerable potential for the area to benefit from the production and distribution of green hydrogen.
Commenting on the visit, James said:
“The King’s Lynn Compressor Station is a strategic site that plays a vital role in getting gas to the homes, businesses, and power stations that need it. With Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, the importance of the station has increased as it supports our European allies with their energy security. It was interesting to learn more about the company’s future plans to secure a net-zero hydrogen future and I look forward to learning more about the developments in the future.”
Nick Sides, Director of Operations at National Gas commented:
"It was a privilege to be able to host the Member of Parliament for North West Norfolk at our Kings Lynn Compressor Station, a site that has played an increasingly important role in delivering energy security for Great Britain and our European neighbours following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Our team at Kings Lynn work 24/7, 365 to ensure the safe and reliable supply of gas to the South East, and it was a pleasure to be able to showcase their work in operating a strategically important UK infrastructure asset based in Norfolk."
