Norway's Equinor will send an additional 1 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas to the UK during the winter, it announced on Thursday.
Equinor and the UK's Centrica announced an agreement to deliver additional gas supplies to the UK.
Equinor said that the supply agreement will provide further energy security for the UK over the coming three winters.
'The new supply agreement adds around 1 bcm per year to Equinor’s existing, bilateral contract with Centrica and brings the total volume under the contract above 10 bcm per year,' it explained.
With Britain currently importing around a third of its gas requirements from Norway, the announcement underlines the strategic importance of the Norwegian relationship to UK energy security.
'In a period with a challenging geopolitical and macroeconomic environment with strong demand for natural gas, we at Equinor are doing what we can to export as much gas as possible to the market,' said Equinor’s senior vice president for Gas and Power, Helge Haugane.
'This agreement is good news for the country and for our customers. At a time where energy security is paramount, I’m delighted that we are able to do our bit to ease the pressure and provide some more certainty ahead of what may be a difficult winter,' said Chris O’Shea, Centrica Group Chief Executive.
Equinor every year typically supplies 20-22 bcm of natural gas to the UK which covers over 25% of UK gas demand.
By Murat Temizer
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr