To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the United Kingdom's total storage capacity for liquefied natural gas is; and what recent proposals he has considered to increase this capacity. (182264)

[holding answer 25 January 2008]: The total capacity of Great Britain's existing fixed storage capacity for liquefied natural gas (LNG) is estimated as the equivalent of 310 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas in gaseous form.

This comprises:

LNG storage ‘bullets' (integral to National Grid's transportation system)—capacity equivalent to 260 mcm;

LNG storage facilities at import terminals—capacity equivalent to 50 mcm.

Major LNG storage capacity will also be provided at the two new LNG import terminals which are expected to be commissioned at Milford Haven later this year.

The Government do not dictate specific projects. In a liberalised gas market, in which businesses make commercial decisions on which facilities to develop, the Government's role is to enable commercial projects by providing an appropriate regulatory framework.