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To: Giordano Bruno who wrote (366802)	4/27/2008 10:39:50 AM
From: ldo79	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

they have some other minor disruptions going on also....... 25% Of UK Natural Gas Supply Lost On Forties Pipeline Closure Sunday April 27th, 2008 / 15h00 LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Natural gas flow from the U.K. North Sea fell by 59 million cubic meters a day Sunday, equivalent to just under a quarter of current demand, after the shutdown of the Forties oil pipeline system, data on the Web site of U.K. gas network operator National Grid PLC (NGG) said. National Grid data showed that the combined flow into the U.K. gas network from the St. Fergus gas terminal in Scotland, the Bacton SEAL terminal in Norfolk and the Teesside terminal in northeast England fell from around 138 mcm/day before the Forties shutdown began on Friday to 80 mcm/day at 1230 GMT Sunday. National Grid forecast U.K. demand to be 245 mcm Sunday, rising to 260 mcm Monday. The 700,000 barrel a day Forties pipeline system, which carries 40% of U.K. oil production, was fully shut down Sunday morning after a strike at the nearby Grangemouth refinery deprived the pipeline system of steam and electricity essential for its operation. The Forties pipeline carries little natural gas, but several large fields that export gas into the terminals above depend on Forties to carry away their oil. Most fields are unable to produce gas if they can't produce oil. National Grid said last week that there is little threat of natural gas shortages in the U.K. because other pipelines are available to import gas from Norway or mainland Europe and the U.K. has gas in storage. National Grid data showed imports from Continental Europe through the Interconnector pipeline rising to 8.5 mcm/day and flow from the Isle of Grain liquefied natural gas import terminal rising to 6.3 mcm/day. The U.K.'s largest storage facilities, Rough and Hornsea, haven't yet turned on. Workers at the Grangemouth refinery, operated by Ineos PLC, began a two-day strike Sunday over proposed changes to their pension scheme. Forties operator BP PLC (BP) began to shut the pipeline down Friday night ahead of the strike. BP indicated in a note to Forties users earlier this week that it could take six days for the pipeline to return to full operations. Ineos said Grangemouth, which accounts for 10% of U.K. refining capacity, could take weeks to return to normal operation. The government and petrol retailers say there is ample gasoline and diesel in storage to meet U.K. requirements, but panic buying has prompted some stations to run out of fuel in Scotland. -By James Herron, Dow Jones Newswires