Centrica urges government action as falling customer contacts mean its Rough gas storage facility, situated in the North Sea, will have to close by April 2027. For now, the company has cut 1,300 jobs; 500 in June 2026 with 800 more to go in the future.
Rough has been producing remnant gas while Centrica lobbies the government for a £2 billion project that would turn the facility into an enlarged storage site with an increased capacity for gas and, in the long term, hydrogen storage. Currently, the site’s production licence will expire in April 2027, and, due to the lack of gas, Centrica are not looking to renew.
Centrica CEO Chris O’Shea says: ‘We don’t intend to seek an extension… because although you can still get a trickle of gas for a long time, it makes no economic sense. I think [the project] is essential for the UK energy security. I think it would not be good if [Rough] was to be allowed to close, and that’s why it’s really a decision for government now. What we hear a lot is that this is a commercial decision for Centrica. That is patently not true.’
