Saltfleetby gas storage facility capacity expected to be more than 700 million cubic metres

London. WINGAS Storage UK Ltd. today confirmed it has applied for planning permission to extend the life of its natural gas field at Saltfleetby in Lincolnshire by converting it to a gas storage facility with an expected capacity of more than 700 million cubic meters. Since acquiring the gas field in late 2004, WINGAS has been studying the technical feasibility of the project and has consulted with local residents and councillors while carrying out an environmental impact assessment.

"We plan to convert this natural gas field into an underground storage reservoir, thus making a considerable contribution towards securing supply in the UK, whose storage capacities are currently inadequate", says Dr. Rainer Seele, Chairman of the Board of Directors of parent company WINGAS GmbH. "Our strategy of expanding storage capacities close to the market sees WINGAS playing it safe when it comes to supplying customers with natural gas", says Seele.

The facility will have three gas-driven compressors and will be linked to the national gas grid by a new eight kilometre, 20 inch diameter pipeline. WINGAS expects normal operating capacity of the facility to be around 7,650 GWh. Thomas Lehmann, Managing Director of WINGAS Storage UK Ltd, commented: "Saltfleetby is one of the most appropriate sites for gas storage in the UK. We expect it to form an integral part of the facilities that has been recognised by the Government as essential to safeguard security of supply". Work on designing the facility is proceeding and WINGAS has just submitted a planning application to Lincolnshire County Council. WINGAS plans to begin with full operations commencing from the 2008/9 Storage Year.
WINGAS Storage UK Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of WINGAS GmbH. This company purchased the Saltfleetby onshore gas field in Lincolnshire, UK from Roc Oil at the end of 2004.

WINGAS GmbH is a joint venture of Wintershall (65%) and the Russian company OAO Gazprom (35%). The two partners have been supplying gas since 1990. As partners of WINGAS, BASF/Wintershall and Gazprom have to date invested around 3 billion euros in setting up the WINGAS natural gas pipeline system. The network links the major gas reserves in Siberia with the growing markets in Western Europe and also provides WINGAS with access to the developing European spot markets. With its natural gas storage facility at Rehden WINGAS possesses the largest natural gas reservoir in Western Europe.

WINGAS. More energy - together.

WINGAS PI-06-03 - 02/01/06

Contact:
Stefan Leunig
Phone +49 561 301-3301
Fax +49 561 301-1321
presse@wingas.de

PDF of press release
download