Slaughter and May advised Centrica on the exemption from third-party access for the Rough storage facility

Slaughter and May advised Centrica Energy Storage Limited (“Centrica”) on the extension of the exemption from the requirement to offer access to third parties at the Rough storage facility (“Rough”). Centrica ceased gas storage operations at Rough in 2017. As a result of the market conditions in 2022, Centrica, following a request from BEIS (as it was then known), decided to convert Rough back to natural gas storage operations. As part of that decision to recommence operations at Rough, Centrica applied for, and was granted, an exemption from the requirements under the Gas Act 1986 to offer third-party access at Rough.

This exemption applied until June 2024 and, as part of Centrica’s preferred pathway for future operations at Rough (which includes expansion of current operational capacities and early development of potential hydrogen storage), Centrica sought an extension to the exemption. On 27 June 2023, Ofgem granted an extension of the exemption until 1 April 2030.