GRONINGEN, 02/12/06 - The gas pipeline linking the Netherlands with the UK was turned on on Friday. The undersea Balgzand-Bacton Pipeline (BBL) is supplying the UK with about 15 percent of its total gas requirement, Gasunie reported.

With capacity of 1.75 million cubic metres per hour, the new pipeline can carry around 15 billion m3 a year. The BBL enables the UK to import extra volumes of natural gas from continental Europe. This is necessary as demand for gas is rising in the UK and its own natural gas production is declining rapidly. The UK's annual consumption is now 100 billion m3.

The gas that will flow to the UK comes from a number of gas traders that obtain the gas from producers in the Netherlands and abroad. BBL (www.bblcompany.com) is a partnership between E.ON Ruhrgas, Fluxys and Nederlandse Gasunie.

The Netherlands is also facing higher consumption and lower production of gas, a Gasunie spokesman noted. The company is building a terminal in the port of Rotterdam where liquid gas can be stored for distribution for domestic use and for the European hinterland.