Scottish Power's Salt Solution for Gas Storage

Scottish Power has won planning permission for the construction of a £100m underground gas storage facility at Byley in Cheshire. The facility will act as additional storage for fluctuating gas demand and the trend for importing gas.

Front end design is now being initiated and contracts are set to be awarded with construction due to start in early 2005. Mining is expected to take around 21 months with additional on site construction including a gas processing station, pumps, pipelines and access roads.

The storage facility is not intended solely for Scottish Power, but will act as a new revenue stream where space could be sold to other gas companies.

The Byley site has been chosen because of underground salt formations. Storing gas in caverns excavated in salt formations is well established. However the salt at Byley is around 300m thick and such locations are rare. Salt's impermeability makes it safe for pressurised unlined gas storage as the deeper the salt, the higher the pressure at which the gas can be stored.

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Added to site on 12/07/04

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