Miliband calls on Truss to “urgently” explain role in gas storage plant closure

Ed Miliband has demanded that Liz Truss “urgently explain” her involvement in the decision to shut down the UK’s largest gas storage plant and accused the government of showing a “blatant disregard” for the country’s energy supply.

British Gas owner Centrica said it was permanently closing the Rough facility in 2017, because it did not make economic sense to make the investment necessary to extend its life. The government declined to subsidise the plant.

Analysis by the Labour Party in May estimated that the closure of the facility, located off the Yorkshire coast, would add approximately £1bn to the cost of the UK’s winter gas supplies this year.

The Shadow Secretary for Climate Change and Net Zero said today: “We are facing an energy crisis because of 12 years of Conservative failure on energy security – on renewables, on storage, on insulation and on regulating the market.

“Liz Truss needs to urgently explain what her involvement was in shutting down the Rough gas storage facility and plummeting the UK into close to zero storage stocks. The decision shows a blatant disregard from this government to protect our energy supply and keep bills down.

“Labour will not stand by and let people suffer any more. Our fully-funded plan to freeze the price cap will make sure households don’t pay a penny more this winter, as well as investing in sustainable energy for the future – providing the foundations for a stronger, more secure economy.

“Whilst the Conservatives protect the big oil and gas companies, Labour stands up for the working people of Britain.”

Labour has demanded that Truss explain her involvement in the decision to shut down the Rough facility, which took place while she was serving as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

The opposition noted that the closure would have been “one of the first big events” to take place during Truss’ time in that position, with Centrica confirming it was shutting the facility down nine days after she assumed the role.

Truss’ team have not denied her involvement in the closure of the plant. A spokesperson for her Tory leadership campaign said: “As Prime Minister, Liz would drive forward efforts to secure the UK’s long-term domestic energy supply and keep families’ bills low.

“She would reduce the UK’s dependency on foreign energy supplies and leverage private sector investment to embrace transition energy methods like gas and nuclear.”

But allies of the Foreign Secretary told the Yorkshire Post that Truss would not have been involved in key discussions about the plant’s closure prior to her appointment.

The government has recently U-turned on its decision to allow the Rough facility to close, and the plant is reportedly set to reopen within weeks.

It is thought that the facility can hold enough gas to meet the UK’s winter demand for approximately ten days when full, although it is only expected to fill up to one quarter of its capacity this winter.

The UK has significantly less gas stored than other European nations. Austria has 230 days’ worth of gas stored, while the Netherlands has 103 days and Italy 75. By contrast, the UK has just four days’ worth stored.