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 08 August 2007
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Gas Quality

This web page describes the work that Government is doing under the Energy White Paper 3-Phase Gas Quality Exercise. We will use this web page to keep you notified of progress with the exercise and to share with you any publications associated with it.

Great Britain became a net importer of gas during 2004, and reliance on imports is expected to increase sharply in the years to come. A diverse range of sources will potentially be available to meet this demand, as a result of which the gas ‘quality’ (composition and energy content) could vary significantly. It is expected that on occasion some of these imports will not conform with the regulatory gas quality specifications in HSE’s Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 [GS(M)R]. In particular, it is likely that future imports will comprise high energy content (high Wobbe Index) gas. This requires more oxygen to burn efficiently; if an appliance cannot deliver sufficient oxygen there can be incomplete combustion, causing two problems:

  • production of carbon monoxide -a highly poisonous gas, bringing the risk of fatalities
  • production of soot - an inconvenience which leads to higher maintenance costs

There may possibly be further gas specification issues.

The Energy White Paper said that the Government would keep gas quality under review (Para 6.21). DTI, HSE and Ofgem all have an interest in this:

  • DTI (and Ofgem), because we do not wish gas quality to be a barrier to gas supply or the construction of new gas import infrastructure – if it were a barrier, there would be risks in terms of competition and security of supply
  • HSE, because it is responsible for the gas safety specifications in the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations - which themselves reflect the ability of the gas appliance population to handle different specifications of gas

During 2003 the Government proposed a three-phase exercise to address this issue:

Phase 1: A scoping study to assess the implications of future gas specification issues
Phase 2: If there is a gas quality problem, a public consultation exercise on the policy response
Phase 3: Implementation of the proposed policy (Phase 3 to follow)

© Crown copyright 2007