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Total UK gas imports fell 29 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same time in 2013, according to data released by the government.
The decrease in gas demand during an unsually mild winter stood in stark contrast to Q1 2013 when the UK experienced historically cold weather conditions.
Data from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) showed that import levels fell as gas demand dipped 19.6 per cent compared to Q1 2013.
As a result, pipeline imports from Belgium fell 96 per cent compared to the previous year when March temperatures hit some of the lowest on record, with record imports seen 21 March 2013.
Deliveries of liquefied natural gas (LNG) were also around a fifth lower, the data showed.
“The fall in LNG imports is likely to be due to a combination of factors, such as the decline in UK gas demand and the strong competition for LNG in the global market, especially Japan following the closure of their nuclear facilities in 2011,” Decc said.
LNG imports in 2013 accounted for 19.2 per cent of total imports in 2013 compared with around a quarter of those in 2012 and half of those in 2011.
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