Production start-up on Total’s Laggan-Tormore fields west of Shetland spurred the UK onto a 3.6% increase in natural gas output in 2016, a new report said.
Limited maintenance activity on other gas-producing infrastructure also contributed to the rise, according to the UK energy department’s Energy Trends report.
First gas from the multi-billion pound Laggan-Tormore development was achieved in the first half of 2016, with supplies being delivered to the onshore Shetland Gas Plant via a 90-mile pipeline.
UK gas demand was significantly higher in 2016 – up 12.6% − which is the highest demand figure since 2011, the report said.
The rise was largely due to a 39% jump in gas used in electricity generation, while domestic use climbed 5.1%.
Gas exports were 23% lower last year due to increased demand, whilst imports were 5.9% higher, most notably caused by an 11.9% rise in gas coming in from Norway.
Production of crude and natural gas liquids (NGLs) went up by 4.8% year-on-year.
Imports of crude and NGLs were lower by 5.7% in 2016, whilst exports were 5% higher.
Renewables’ share of electricity generation fell to 24.4% from a record 24.6% in 2015.
Coal production in 2016 was down 51% in the wake of the closure of mines in Hatfield, Thoresby and Kellingley the previous year.
Read: 2016 – The year of Total’s Laggan-Tormore
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