National Transmission System

The United Kingdom's National Transmission System (NTS) is the network of gas pipelines that supply gas to about forty power stations and large industrial users from natural gas terminals situated on the coast, and to gas distribution companies that supply commercial and domestic users. It covers Great Britain, i.e. England, Wales and Scotland.[1]

## History

[edit]

### Origins

[edit]

The system originated in the construction during 1962–3 of the 200-mile (320 km) high-pressure methane pipeline from Canvey Island (on the Essex coast) to Leeds.[2] Imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Algeria was turned into gas at the Canvey terminal and supplied to the pipeline, providing eight of the twelve area gas boards with access to natural gas.[3] The gas was initially used to manufacture town gas, either as a feedstock in gas reforming processes or to enrich lean gases such as that produced by the Lurgi coal gasification process.

The pipeline was 18-inch (460 mm) in diameter and operated at 1,000 pounds per square inch (69 bar). The pipeline had 150 miles (240 km) of spur lines, supplying gas to area boards.[4]

Methane pipeline spur lines  Area board  | Supply to  | Diameter (inches)  | Length (miles)

|
|
|

North Thames | Bromley/East Greenwich 'Tee'  | 14  | 15.5
Bromley  | 10  | 2.5
Slough (from Reading spur line)  |  |
South Eastern  | East Greenwich  | 12  | 3
Southern  | Reading  | 8  | 49
Eastern  | Hitchin  | 8  | 7
Dunstable  | 6  | 8.5
West Midlands  | Coleshill  | 14  | 10.5
East Midlands  | Sheffield  | 12  | 10
North Western | Manchester  | 14  | 24
North Eastern | Leeds  | 12  | 8

The Gas Council was responsible for this £10 million co-operative scheme and the construction details were a joint effort of the distribution engineers of the area boards.

LNG had first been imported to Canvey from Louisiana in February 1959, and piped to Romford gasworks as feedstock to a reforming plant.[5]

### UK natural gas

[edit]

Natural gas was discovered on the UK continental shelf in 1965 and production started in 1967.[6] The development of offshore natural gas fields is shown in the following table. Shore terminals were built to receive, process, blend and distribute the gas.

UK sources of offshore natural gas, 1967–1985  Field  | Field type  | Licensee or operator  | Discovered  | First gas onshore  | Shore terminal

|
|
|
|
|

West Sole | Gas  | BP | September 1965  | March 1967  | Easington
Leman | Gas  | Shell/Esso, Amoco/Gas Council, Arpet Group, Mobil | April 1966  | August 1968  | Bacton
Hewett | Gas  | Phillips Petroleum, Arpet group  | October 1966  | July 1969  | Bacton
Indefatigable | Gas  | Shell/Esso, Amoco/Gas Council  | June 1966  | October 1971  | Bacton
Viking | Gas  | Conoco/BNOC | May 1968  | July 1972  | Viking (Theddlethorpe)
Rough | Gas  | Amoco/Gas Council  | May 1968  | October 1975  | Easington
Forties | Oil + associated gas  | BP  | October 1970  | September 1977  | St Fergus
Frigg (Norway)  | Gas  | TotalEnergies | June 1971  | September 1977  | St Fergus
Frigg (UK) | Gas  | TotalEnergies  | May 1972  | September 1977  | St Fergus
Piper | Oil + associated gas  | Occidental group | January 1973  | November 1978  | St Fergus
Tartan  | Oil + associated gas  | Texaco | December 1974  | January 1981  | St Fergus
Brent | Oil + associated gas  | Shell/Esso  | July 1971  | 1982  | St Fergus
Morecambe Bay | Gas + condensate  | Hydrocarbons (GB) | September 1974  | 1985  | Barrow

With the assured availability of natural gas, a government white paper on fuel policy[7][8] in November 1967 proposed that natural gas should be immediately and more extensively exploited. The Gas Council and area boards began a ten-year programme to convert all users and appliances to operate on natural gas and consequently to discontinue the manufacture of town gas at local gasworks. In a pilot scheme, users on Canvey Island had been converted to natural gas in 1966.[9]

### Building the NTS

[edit]

To exploit the availability of natural gas and to provide for more widespread distribution, construction began of a major new transmission network which became the National Transmission System.[10]

#### Feeder pipelines – England

[edit]

Gas from the West Sole field was first dispatched from the Easington terminal on the Yorkshire coast in July 1967, via Feeder No. 1 across the Humber to the East Midland Gas Board's gasworks at Killingholme. It was used to enrich low calorific value manufactured gas. Feeder No. 1 was extended to Totley near Sheffield where it connected to the 18-inch methane pipeline. UK natural gas first entered the NTS in July 1968.[11]

Feeder lines from the North Sea gas terminals to the spine of the NTS were laid and brought into use as the shore terminals were constructed.[3][12][13][14]

Initial feeder pipelines of the NTS  Feeder No.  | Diameter  | Length  | From  | To  | Operational

|
|
|
|
|

1  | 24-inch (600 mm)  | 90 miles (144 km)  | Easington terminal | Scunthorpe and Totley near Sheffield, where it connected to the original methane pipeline.  | July 1967/ July 1968
2  | 36-inch (900 mm)  | 123 miles (197 km)  | Bacton terminal | Brisley, Eye, Peterborough and Churchover near Rugby, where it connected to the original methane pipeline.  | August 1968
3  | 36-inch  | 107 miles (171 km)  | Bacton terminal  | Roudham Heath, Cambridge, Peters Green, Whitwell near Hitchin, where it connected to the original methane pipeline.  | October 1969
4  | 36-inch  | 154 miles (246 km)  | Bacton terminal  | Great Ryburgh, King's Lynn, Audley and Alrewas near Lichfield.  | Autumn 1970
5  | 36-inch  |  | Bacton terminal  | Yelverton, Diss, Stowmarket, Braintree, Chelmsford and Horndon, where it connected to the original methane pipeline  | Autumn 1971
6  | 30-inch (750 mm)  | 91 miles (146 km)  | Paull  | Pickering (see note), Westwood and Little Burden near Darlington  | Autumn 1971
7  | 36-inch  |  | Wisbech  | Gosberton, Hatton, Old Warden, Tydd St Giles and Scunthorpe  | 1972
8  | 30-inch  |  | Former Viking (Theddlethorpe) terminal | Hatton  | July 1972

The No. 6 feeder runs via Pickering which received gas from a treatment plant for the onshore Lockton gas field.[14]

#### Feeder pipelines – Scotland

[edit]

North Sea gas first reached Scotland in Spring 1970 at Coldstream via an extension of the Leeds-Newcastle pipeline. This pipeline was then extended to Glenmavis near Coatbridge Lanarkshire (Feeder No. 12) where a natural gas liquefication plant was constructed.[14]

A major set of pipelines were constructed in Scotland in preparation for arrival of gas from the Frigg gas field in 1977. From the St Fergus terminal in Scotland, two 36-inch (900 mm) pipelines (Feeder No. 10 and No. 11) were laid via Bathgate to Partington and Bishop Auckland to connect to the NTS in England, a total pipeline length of 595 miles (950 km). These lines were commissioned in 1976 and cost £140 million. Initially they carried gas from southern England into Scotland until the Frigg field began production via St Fergus in September 1977. Compressor stations are provided at 40 mile (65 km) intervals along the pipelines. A third 36-inch pipeline from St Fergus (Feeder No. 12) was completed in 1978, and a fourth 40-inch (1050 mm) pipeline (Feeder No. 13) in 1982.[15]

### Growth of the NTS

[edit]

The NTS was extended from Leeds to Newcastle upon Tyne in early 1969.[14] This line was extended to Coldstream in spring 1970 and then to Glenmavis, near Coatbridge, Lanarkshire.

The Wales Gas Board received natural gas supplies in 1969 through a 24-inch line from Churchover (Rugby) to Swansea via Wormington (an extension to Feeder No. 2). North Wales was also connected in 1969 via a 24-inch/18-inch pipeline from Audley Cheshire to Maelor near Wrexham (an extension to Feeder No. 4).[14]

The South Western Gas Board received natural gas at the end of 1970 from a 24-inch/20-inch pipeline from Wormington to Exeter (Feeder No. 14).[14]

A 30-inch/24-inch extension of Feeder No. 3 runs to the west of London via Slough to Mogador, Surrey, and was commissioned in 1970. An extension of Feeder No. 5 runs from Horndon-on-the Hill, crosses the Thames at Tilbury and runs via Shorne to connect to Mogador, completing the South London ring main which became operational in early 1972.[14]

In addition to these distribution pipelines, in 1971 the area boards began to supply natural gas directly to major consumers. For example, a 24-inch 17 mile 'spine' pipeline was constructed to ICI Ltd at Billingham (designated as part of Feeder No. 6), and the West Midlands Gas Board laid six similar 'spine' mains into industrial districts of Birmingham and the Black Country.[14]

Most of the NTS was built from the late 1960s to the early 1980s.[16]

Growth of the NTS 1966–1983  Years  | NTS mileage  | Operational gas terminals  | Compressor stations

|
|
|

1966/7  | 320  | Canvey  | 0
1968/9  | 688  | Canvey Easington Bacton  | 0
1970/1  | 1898  | Canvey Easington Bacton  | 1
1972/3  | 2199  | Canvey Easington Bacton Theddlethorpe  | 4
1974/5  | 2308  | Canvey Easington Bacton Theddlethorpe  | 9
1976/7  | 2915  | Canvey Easington Bacton Theddlethorpe St. Fergus  | 10
1978/9  | 3047  | Canvey Easington Bacton Theddlethorpe St. Fergus  | 11
1983  | 3200  | Canvey Easington Bacton Theddlethorpe St. Fergus  | 14

Later (post-1983) feeder mains not described above include:[17]

NTS Feeder pipelines built after 1983  Feeder No.  | From  | To  | Year commissioned

|
|
|

9  | Easington  | East Ilsley  | 1983–86
Brocklesby  | Stallingborough  |
10  | Bathgate  | Glenmavis  |
Thrunton  | Saltwick  |
11  | Bathgate  | Longtown  |
12  | Kirriemuir  | Longtown via Bathgate  |
St Fergus  | Aberdeen  |
14  | Barrington  | Kenn South  |
15  | Longtown  | Warburton  | 1984
16  | Barrow  | Lupton  | 1983
Stapleford Tawney  | Stanford Le Hope (near Canvey Island)  |
17  | Theddlethorpe  | Hatton  | 1988
18  | Peterborough  | Cambridge (via Huntingdon and New Wimpole)  | 1988–94
Isle of Grain  | Gravesend  | 2008
Matching Green  | Rye House  |
Matching Green  | Tilbury  | 1990
St Neots  | Little Barford  |
19  | Easington  | Paull  | 1991
20  | Ilchester  | Choakford  | 1989
21  | Mawdesley  | Alrewas  | 1992–2001
Carnforth  | Burscough  | 1992
Elworth  | Deeside power station  | 1994
22  | Goxhill and Hatton  | Peterborough  | 1993
23  | Churchover  | Honeybourne  | 1998–2001
Peterstow  | Gilwern  | 2000
Wormington  | Corse  | 2000
24  | St Fergus  | Lochside  | 2001
Easington  | Paull  | 2010
Hatton  | Silk Willoughby  | 2001
25  | Bridge Farm  | Mickle Trafford  | 2001
26  | Huntingdon  | Steppingley  | 2001
27  | Bacton  | King's Lynn  | 2003
Cambridge  | Matching Green  | 2002
28  | Herbrandston  | Corse  | 2007
29  | Easington  | Nether Kellett  | 2006–08

The NTS now comprises over 7,600 km of welded steel gas pipelines. The Canvey to Leeds line is no longer part of the NTS.

### LNG storage sites

[edit]

In addition to the Canvey Island liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal, further LNG storage sites were constructed from the late 1960s.[18] These were peak-shaving facilities used to support the NTS at times of high demand, and to ensure security of gas supplies at strategic locations. When demand was high, liquefied natural gas was pumped from storage tanks, heated in vapourisers to a gaseous state and delivered into the NTS. When demand was low, gas was withdrawn from the NTS and liquefied by cryogenic cooling to minus 162 °C to replenish the storage tanks.

NTS liquefied natural gas (LNG) sites. Gas volumes at standard conditions.  Site  | LNG storage tank capacity  | Commissioned  | Decommissioned  | Operations

|
|
|
|

Canvey Island, Essex  | 6 × 4,000 tonnes, 2 × 1,000 tonnes, 4 × 21,000 tonnes[19] (underground)  | 1959, 1964, 1968, 1975  | 1984[20] | Import of LNG from Arzew Algeria, original contract for 1 billion m3 (35 billion cu ft) per year of gas. Liquefication 205 tonnes/day, vapourisation 6 × 50 tonnes/hour.[21]
Ambergate, Derbyshire  | 5,000 tonnes (1 × 12,000 m3) [22][21] | 1967–1970[19] | 1985[23] | Import of LNG by road tanker from Canvey, output 72 million cu ft (2.0 million m3) per day.[24]
Glenmavis, Lanarkshire  | 20,000 tonnes (2 × 47,800 m3),[22][21] | 1972, 1974[21] | 2012  | Liquefication 100 tonnes per day, vapourisation 250 million cu ft (7.1 million m3) per day
Partington, Cheshire  | 4 × 20,000 tonnes (4 × 49,800 m3)[22][21] | 1972[19] 1972, 1974[21] | March 2012  | Liquefication 10 million cu ft (280 thousand m3) per day,[25] vapourisation 8 × 75 tonnes/hour[21]
Dynevor Arms, (Hirwaun) Rhondda Cynon Taf  | 2 × 20,000 tonnes[22] | 1972  | March 2009  | Liquefication 10 million cu ft (280 thousand m3) per day,[25] vapourisation 2 × 75 tonnes/hour[21]
Avonmouth, Bristol  | 3 × 50,000 m3 | 1974–1980;[19] 1978, 1979, 1983[21] | April 2016[26] | Short-term storage, liquefication 205 tonnes/day, vapourisation 6 × 75 tonnes/hour[21]
Isle of Grain, Kent  | 4 × 50,000 m3, 4 × 190,000 m3 | 1980–2010  | Operating  | Vapourisation 58 million m3/day. See Grain LNG Terminal

### High-pressure gas storage

[edit]

In addition to LNG storage for peak-shaving, several sites had storage facilities for high pressure gas that could be released into, and pressurised from, the NTS. The following sites were operational by 1972.[27]

* Isle of Grain, Kent: six 'bullets', 12 ft (3.6 m) diameter, 250 ft (76.2 m) long, capacity 8 million cubic feet (226,000 m3) of gas, operating at up to 1,000 psi (69 bar).
* Beckton gasworks, East London: eight 'bullets', 13.5 ft (4.1 m) diameter, 263 ft (80.1 m) long, capacity 5 million cubic feet (142,000 m3) of gas, pressure cycle 350-100 psi (24-6.9 bar).
* South Western Gas Board, for Bristol and Cheltenham: eleven 'bullets', 13 ft 6 in (4.1 m) diameter, 311 ft 8 in (95 m) long, total capacity 13 million cubic feet (368,000 m3), pressure cycle 450-40 psi (31-2.76 bar).
* Biggin Hill, Kent: seventeen, 42-inch (1.07 m) diameter buried pipes, 1,040 ft (317 m) long, capacity 10 million cubic feet (283,000 m3), operating up to 1,000 psi (69 bar).

## Operation

[edit]

The NTS is the starting point for UK gas distribution. The pipeline system serving houses is not part of the NTS, but is part of the gas distribution network of local distribution zones; the two systems combine to form the UK's gas distribution network.

The two types of gas pipelines in the UK are: large diameter high-pressure (up to 85[28] bar (1200 psi) and 1050 mm (41¼")[28] diameter) pipelines – the type that the NTS uses – and smaller diameter lower pressure pipelines that connect to users who burn gas for heat. The wall thickness of the high-pressure pipelines is up to 0.625 inches (18mm).

### Entry

[edit]

Gas currently enters the NTS from a number of sources:

* Offshore oil and gas fields on the UK continental shelf. These deliver gas via five (formerly six) UK coastal gas terminals (five in England: CATS Teesside; Easington/Dimlington; Bacton; Rampside Barrow and the former Theddlethorpe terminal; and one in Scotland: St Fergus). Gas from the Liverpool Bay (Douglas) field formerly entered the NTS at Burton Point terminal in Cheshire; this terminal is now identified by National Grid as a NTS offtake to Connah's Quay power station.
* Onshore gas fields such as Saltfleetby, Lincolnshire (production was via the former Theddlethorpe terminal); and Wytch Farm, Dorset.
* Continental Europe. From Norway via the Langeled pipeline and the Easington terminal; from the Netherlands via the BBL pipeline; from Belgium via the Interconnector UK pipeline, both of the latter through Bacton gas terminal.
* Imported LNG. Gas is delivered from import terminals at the Isle of Grain and Milford Haven (South Hook and Dragon). The Canvey Island gas terminal ceased importing LNG in 1984.[20]
* Storage facilities. These include a mixture of salt cavity storage, onshore LNG storage sites, and formerly the depleted onshore gas field at Rough (via Easington terminal). The onshore storage facilities are listed below. The NTS was formerly supplied by the following decommissioned LNG sites: Ambergate, Derbyshire (closed 1985); Dynevor Arms, Merthyr Tydfil (closed 2009); Glenmavis, Lanarkshire (closed 2012); Partington, Greater Manchester (closed 2012); and Avonmouth, Bristol (closed April 2016).[26]

### Gas specification and composition

[edit]

The specification of gas transported within the NTS is typically within the following parameters (revised April 2023).[29][30][31][32]

Specification of gas in the NTS  Content or characteristic  | Value

|

Gross calorific value  | 37.0 – 44.5 MJ/m3
Wobbe number*  | 47.2 – 51.41 MJ/m3
Water dewpoint  | <-10 °C @ 85barg
Hydrocarbon dewpoint  | <-2 °C
Hydrogen sulphide content*  | ≤5 mg/m3
Total sulphur content (including H2S)*  | ≤50 mg/m3
Hydrogen content*  | ≤0.1% (molar)
Oxygen content*  | ≤0.2% (molar)
Carbon dioxide content  | ≤2.0% (molar)
Nitrogen content  | <5.0% (molar)
Total inerts  | <7.0%
Incomplete combustion factor*  | ≤0.48
Soot index*  | ≤0.60

Parameters marked * are specified in the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996.[30]

The composition of natural gas in the NTS in 1979 was typically as shown below.[33] The decline of supply from the UK continental shelf since 2000[34] and the sharp increase in LNG imports during the 2021 natural gas supplier crisis have made the composition more variable, though still within the calorific value limits.

Composition of natural gas, 1979  Component  | Volume %

|

Methane | 93.63
Ethane | 3.25
Propane | 0.69
Butane | 0.27
Other hydrocarbons  | 0.20
Nitrogen | 1.78
Carbon dioxide | 0.13
Helium | 0.05

### Natural gas storage

[edit]

Gas storage is used to manage seasonal and short-term variations in the supply and demand of gas in the UK. Facilities include salt caverns and onshore LNG storage sites (see above). Since 1985, gas has been stored offshore in the depleted Rough gas field, which initially held nine days' supply and was the UK's largest store.[35] This facility, owned by Centrica, was closed in 2017 due to maintenance costs[35] but about 20% of its capacity was reopened in October 2022.[36]

The operational onshore gas storage facilities in Britain are as follows.[37][38][39]

Onshore gas storage facilities in Britain  Facility  | Location  | Coordinates  | Owner  | Type  | Gas storage volume (106 m3)  | Maximum injection rate (106 m3/d)  | Maximum production rate (106 m3/d)  | Supply duration (days)  | Connection to NTS  | Commissioned

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Aldborough  | Aldborough, East Yorkshire  | 53°48'50"N 0°05'16"W  | SSEHL / Equinor  | Salt cavern  | 195  | 29  | 31  | 6  | FM06  | 2009
Hatfield Moor | Hatfield, Doncaster  | 53°33'11"N 0°57'31"W  | Scottish Power | Depleted gas reservoir  | 70  | 2  | 2  | 35  | FM07  | 2000
Hill Top Farm  | Warmingham, Cheshire East  | 53°08'48"N 2°26'45"W  | EDF Energy | Salt cavern  | 20  | 2  | 2  | 10  | FM15, FM21  | 2011
Hill Top Farm (with extension)  | Warmingham, Cheshire East  | 53°08'48"N 2°26'45"W  | EDF Energy  | Salt cavern  | 56  | 14  | 14  | 4  | FM15, FM21  | 2019
Hole House Farm  | Warmingham, Cheshire East  | 53°08'49"N 2°26'44"W  | EDF Energy  | Salt cavern  | 44  |  | 8  | 5.5  | FM15, FM21  | 2001 (mothballed July 2018)
Holford  | Byley, Cheshire West and Chester  | 53°13'37"N 2°24'18"W  | Uniper UK Ltd  | Salt cavern  | 200  | 22  | 22  | 15  | FM21  | 2011
Hornsea / Atwick  | Hornsea, East Yorkshire  | 53°56'48"N 0°12'28"W  | SSEHL  | Salt cavern  | 235  | 3  | 12  | 20  | FM06  | 1979
Humbly Grove  | Alton, Hampshire  | 51°11'39"N 1°00'37"W  | Humbly Grove Energy  | Depleted gas / oil reservoir  | 300  | 8  | 7  | 43  | FM07, FM09 (Barton Stacey)  | 2005
Stublach 1  | Northwich, Cheshire West and Chester  | 53°14'03"N 2°26'04"W  | Storengy  | Salt cavern  | 220  | 16  | 18  | 12  | FM21  | 2014
Stublach 1 & 2  | Northwich, Cheshire West and Chester  | 53°14'03"N 2°26'04"W  | Storengy  | Salt cavern  | 400  | 30  | 30  | 13  | FM21  | 2019

The salt cavity storage facility at Hornsea, East Yorkshire comprises seven cavities at a depth of 6000' (1800 metres), which each store up to 60 million m3 (80 million cu. yd.) of gas at a maximum pressure of 240 bar (3500 psi). The releasable volume of gas is about half of the gross volume. During periods of low demand, gas is compressed into the cavities by electrically driven compressors and fed back onto the NTS at times of peak demand.[21]

Salt cavern storage facilities at Stublach were created by drilling 20" (50 cm) diameter holes through 1000' (300 metres) of rock and 820' (250 metres) of salt. This was followed by inserting metal tubes into the holes and filling the annulus with cement to create a leak-tight seal. Water was injected into the wells to dissolve the salt and create brine which was supplied to local industry for the production of bulk chemicals, such as soda ash and chlorine. The caverns created are about 300' (90 metres) in diameter and 260' (80 metres) tall (each has a volume of 339,300 m3; 443,800 cu. yd.) and are used to hold compressed gas. Stublach is the largest gas storage facility in the UK, containing up to 450 million cubic metres (590 million cubic yards) of gas.[39]

### Compressor stations

[edit]

There are 25 (mostly gas turbine driven) compressor stations and over 25 pressure regulators. Gas moves through the NTS at speeds up to 25 mph (40 km/h), depending on pressures and pipeline diameters. Compressor stations generally operate at a pressure ratio of 1:1.4 – a balance between maintaining pressure and hence flow, and the capital and running cost of the compressors. It also ensures that the temperature rise across the compressors is not high enough to require after-coolers to prevent damage to the pipeline protective coatings. On the pipelines from St Fergus, compressor stations are provided at 40 mile (65 km) intervals; each compresses the gas from about 48 bar (700 psi) at 5 °C (41°F) to 65 bar (950 psi) at 45 °C (113°F).[40]

Compressor stations include:

* England – Wooler, Bishop Auckland, Carnforth, Nether Kellett, Warrington, Hatton, Alrewas, Wisbech, King's Lynn, Peterborough, Churchover, Huntingdon, Cambridge, Diss, Chelmsford, Aylesbury, Lockerley and Wormington.
* Scotland – Aberdeen, Avonbridge, Kirriemuir, Moffat and St Fergus.

Initial NTS compressor stations[21] Station  | Gas turbines  | Power rating (MW)  | Commissioned

|
|
|

Alrewas  | 2 Rolls-Royce Avons | 21.6  | 1970
Peterborough  | 3 Rolls-Royce Avons  | 35.4  | 1972
Churchover  | 3 Orendas | 18.4  | 1972
Scunthorpe  | 2 Rolls-Royce Avons  | 23.6  | 1973
Chelmsford  | 2 Rolls-Royce Avons  | 23.0  | 1973
King's Lynn  | 4 Rolls-Royce Avons  | 47.2  | 1973
Cambridge  | 2 Rolls-Royce Avons  | 23.0  | 1974
Bishop Auckland  | 2 Orendas  | 14.4  | 1974
Kirriemuir  | 4 Rolls-Royce Avons  | 47.2  | 1977
Bathgate  | 4 Rolls-Royce Avons  | 47.2  | 1977
Diss  | 3 Rolls-Royce Avons  | 34.5  | 1977
St Fergus I  | 4 Rolls-Royce Avons  | 47.2  | 1977
St Fergus II  | 2 Rolls-Royce Maxi Avons, 3 Rolls-Royce RB211s | 65.3  | 1978
Moffat  | 2 Rolls-Royce RB211s  | 38.6  | 1980
Wisbech  | 1 Rolls-Royce RB211, 1 Rolls-Royce Maxi Avon  | 32.6  | 1980

### Offtakes

[edit]

Offtakes from the NTS include those supplying industrial users, local distribution networks, storage sites and export pipelines.

* To about 71 large users such power stations and industry, either on multi-business sites such as Billingham and Runcorn or to individual companies such as INEOS Teesside.
* To inland storage sites (see 'Entry') and formerly to the offshore Rough field storage site via the Easington gas terminal.
* To the Irish interconnectors; the 24-inch 85 mile (135 km) Scotland-Northern Ireland Pipeline (SNIP) to Ballylumford, Northern Ireland, and the two 24-inch UK-Ireland Interconnectors to Dublin, both via an NTS offtake at Moffat, Scotland.
* Gas can be exported to Belgium and the Netherlands via the Interconnector UK and the BBL pipelines, both via the Bacton terminal.
* To the Gas Distribution Network of Local Distribution Zones, as follows:[41]

NTS Gas Distribution Network offtakes  National Grid area  | Number of LDZ offtakes

|

Scotland  | 19
Northern  | 15
South West  | 13
East Midlands  | 13
West Midlands  | 12
North West  | 11
East Anglia  | 11
North East  | 9
Southern  | 8
North Thames  | 5
South East  | 5
Wales  | 3
Total | 124

### Gas distribution network

[edit]

Companies that own part of this gas network, also known as the Local Transmission System (LTS), are known as gas transporters. Gas enters this network via the NTS through a pressure reduction station to the twelve gas distribution zones in Great Britain within eight distribution networks. The network covers 275,000 km (171,000 mi). The LTS is managed from Hinckley, Leicestershire (former headquarters of the NTS). Financial transactions between gas transporters are managed by Xoserve, based in Solihull, which was a department of National Grid before it became an independent company.

For retail distribution, Cadent owns the network in North West England, the West Midlands, the East Midlands, the East of England and North London. In the North of England, local distribution is owned by Northern Gas Networks; in the Wales and West by Wales and West Utilities; and in Southern England and Scotland by SGN.

## Ownership

[edit]

The transmission network is owned by National Gas, which is owned by Macquarie Asset Management (80%) and National Grid plc (20%).[42] Agreement was reached in July 2024 for Macquarie to buy National Grid's stake, giving Macquarie full ownership in the first quarter of 2025 subject to regulatory approval.[43]

The changing ownership of the NTS reflects developments and corporate changes in the UK's gas and energy industries.

* Gas Council and area boards, 1962 – 31 December 1972
* British Gas Corporation, 1 January 1973 – 24 August 1986
* British Gas plc, 24 August 1986 – 1994
* Transco plc, part of British Gas plc, 1994 – 17 February 1997
* Transco plc, part of BG plc, 17 February 1997 – 1999
* Transco plc, part of BG Group plc, 1999 – 23 October 2000
* Transco plc, part of Lattice Group plc, 23 October 2000 – 21 October 2002
* Transco plc, part of National Grid Transco plc, 21 October 2002 – 31 January 2023; renamed National Grid Gas plc on 10 October 2005
* National Grid Gas plc, owned by Macquarie, BCI and National Grid, from 31 January 2023; renamed National Gas Transmission plc on 6 February 2023

## Northern Ireland

[edit]

Northern Ireland is not part of the NTS and gets its gas via the Scotland-Northern Ireland pipeline (SNIP), owned by Premier Transmission and built between 1994 and 1996. The gas network in Northern Ireland is split, with one area owned by Phoenix Natural Gas and the other by Firmus Energy.

## See also

[edit]

* Humber Gas Tunnel
* Central Area Transmission System
* United Kingdom–Ireland natural gas interconnectors

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Network route maps". National Grid Gas. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
2. ^ Williams, Trevor I. (1981). A History of the British Gas Industry. Oxford University Press. pp. 147.
3. ^ a b "Origins and growth of the British Gas Plant Operations Department" (PDF). www.oldflames.org.uk.
4. ^ Wilson, D. Scott (1969). The Modern Gas Industry. Edward Arnold Ltd. p. 43.
5. ^ Falkus, Malcolm (1988). Always under Pressure: A History of North Thames Gas since 1949. Macmillan. pp. 63 & 74.
6. ^ Falcus, Malcolm (1988). Always under Pressure: A history of North Thames Gas since 1949. Macmillan. pp. 76 & 108.
7. ^ Fuel Policy, Cmnd. 3438, HMSO, London (1967).
8. ^ Williams, Trevor I. (1981). A History of the British Gas Industry. Oxford University Press. pp. 210–11.
9. ^ Williams, Trevor I. (1981). A History of the British Gas Industry. Oxford University Press. pp. 182–9.
10. ^ John Ellis 'The Origins and Growth of the British Gas Plant Operations Department', 2014.
11. ^ Tiratsoo, E.N. (1972). Natural Gas. Beaconsfield: Scientific Press Ltd. pp. 216, 221, 222.
12. ^ Williams, Trevor I. (1981). A History of the British Gas Industry. Oxford University Press. pp. 177–8.
13. ^ Wilson, D Scott (1974). North Sea Heritage: the story of Britain's natural gas. British Gas. p. 27.
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15. ^ Cassidy, Richard (1979). Gas: Natural Energy. London: Frederick Muller Ltd. pp. 39–47.
16. ^ Williams, Trevor I. (1981). A History of the British Gas Industry. Oxford University Press. pp. 225–30.
17. ^ "NTS feeder mains".
18. ^ Tiratsoo, E. N. (1972). Natural Gas. Beaconsfield: Scientific Press Ltd. pp. 159, 183, 224.
19. ^ a b c d "Whessoe LNG tanks". whessoe.co.uk.
20. ^ a b "Methane gas terminal Canvey Island".
21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l McHugh, J (1983). "The engineering of the national transmission system of the British Gas Corporation". Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. 197A: 179–96.
22. ^ a b c d Tiratsoo, E.N. (1972). Natural Gas. Beaconfield: Scientific Press Ltd. p. 183.
23. ^ "Testing of redundant LNG tank" (PDF). www.icheme.org.
24. ^ Tiratsoo, E.N. (1972). Natural Gas. Beaconfield: Scientific Press Ltd. p. 162.
25. ^ a b Tiratsoo, E.N. (1972). Natural Gas. Beaconsfield: Scientific Press Ltd. p. 224.
26. ^ a b "UK's Avonmouth LNG storage site to stop operations on April 30". Archived from the original on 20 August 2016.
27. ^ Tiratsoo, E.N. (1972). Natural Gas. Beaconsfield: Scientific Press Ltd. p. 174.
28. ^ a b "The domain nationalgrideducation.com is registered by NetNames" (PDF). nationalgrideducation.com.
29. ^ "GS(M)R Review: Gas Quality Specification Changes" (PDF). www.gasgovernance.co.uk.
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## External links

[edit]

* Gas Transmission System Operations
* Map of the NTS at National Grid
* Detailed map of the NTS
* Instantaneous gas flows into the NTS
* Pipeline projects at National Grid plc
* Ownership of the gas distribution network, archived in 2008
* Society of British Gas Industries, archived in 2012
* Xoserve
* GCSE PDF factsheet about the NTS, archived from www.energynetworks.org in 2011
* Origins and Growth of the British Gas Plant Operations Department (including pipeline maps) www.oldflames.org.uk
* Statement of Gas Transmission Transportation Charges Table 3 & 5

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