Facts in Neso’s stark assessment have been ignored for years – yet running out could be government-toppling event
C
hris O’Shea, the chief executive of British Gas-owning Centrica, tells an eye-popping tale from his early career in the North Sea offshore industry. During a routine underwater inspection in the 1990s, an unexploded bomb from the second world war was discovered close to the pipeline carrying oil ashore from the large Nelson field.
Happily, the danger was dealt with. The point of the story is only that risks to critical pieces of infrastructure can come from unexpected sources. Stuff can happen.
It is something to bear in mind when reading about the “emerging risk to gas supply security”, as detailed in an assessment last week by the National Energy System Operator (Neso). This 50-page report was released on the afternoon of budget day. It was almost as if the government, or its in-house system operator, didn’t want the central finding to make the front pages.
