Tributes have been paid to a leading engineer who kickstarted gas exploration in one of the UK’s largest fields.
John Bains, who discovered gas in Morecambe Bay in 1972 despite the operator rejecting his work in favour of hunting for oil, has died aged 86.
The field went on to become one of the key fields for the UK – producing 12% of the country’s supply at its peak and generating more than £5bn for the UK economy.
Mr Bains, who was chief petrophysicist with British Gas, found 600ft of gas sands in Morecambe Bay while examining charts which had been discarded by operator Gulf Oil.
His discovery was dismissed at the time, but his perseverance paid off when British Gas, which acquired the drilling rights for the region, spudded an exploration well two years later. By 1985 production was under way from the field, which now accounts for 8% of the gas supply from the UK continental shelf.
“We would like to pay tribute to John Bains and celebrate his contribution to UK gas exploration and production.said Centrica managing director Mark Hanafin.
“John’s determination and expertise uncovered one of the UK’s most important gas fields which has kept millions of homes warm ever since,”
“John was hugely respected in his field and revered at Centrica Energy as the father of the Morecambe Bay development.”
Mr Bains was honoured by the company in 2002, 30-years after his original discovery – when Centrica named a new gas field in the Irish Sea after him.
