Britain faces cut in Norwegian gas supplies as Iran conflict fuels energy fears
Britain and Europe are set to receive less gas from Norway in the coming months, raising fresh concerns over energy security and the risk of higher prices.
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Norway is expected to reduce gas flows by up to a third during parts of the planned maintenance period.
Gassco, which runs Norway’s gas transmission network, usually sends around 350 million cubic metres of gas a day to the UK and EU - roughly a third of their needs.
Exports are initially expected to fall by around 50 million cubic metres a day between April and June, with short periods seeing reductions of up to 180 million cubic metres.
A second maintenance phase is then expected to cut flows by around 75 million cubic metres for much of August and September.
The timing is likely to add to worries over energy security, with global oil and gas markets already under pressure amid the conflict involving Iran.
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Europe is also trying to refill depleted gas storage sites ahead of winter, increasing competition for supply.
The UK has historically been able to cope with lower imports thanks to domestic North Sea production and its ability to import liquefied natural gas from countries including the US.
But that buffer is weakening as North Sea gas output declines.
Natasha Fielding of Argus Media told the Telegraph that the disruption could keep prices elevated for years.
She said: “Inevitably, Europe will start next winter with less in storage than in most previous years. A lower storage buffer increases the risk of price spikes in winter and will make Europe more reliant on securing LNG in wintertime.
“This is a problem that won’t go away after one year. This explains why we are seeing the European gas price rally leaking further into the future as this crisis goes on.”
She added: “Wholesale prices are elevated right now, not just for the rest of 2026 but for 2027, 2028 and beyond.”Gassco said its aim was “to ensure that the gas produced on the Norwegian Continental shelf reaches the European market safely and reliably, every single day”.
A National Gas spokesperson said the UK had “no immediate operational concerns”, adding: “Great Britain has a wide range of supply sources that the market draws on every day, which means the network has flexibility and resilience when supply flows and demand patterns change.”f