The first agreement in 27 years for a large-scale empty UK gas field to be used as a gas storage facility was given the go-ahead off the Norfolk coast yesterday.

Energy firm ENI was given a Gas Storage Licence by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) for its proposal to create a major gas storage site off the coast of Norfolk.

It would be at the Deborah field, under the Southern North Sea near Bacton.

The licence will enable ENI to now look into commercial demand for the offshore field to be used for gas storage.

It also paves the way for the company to seek further approvals for the facility, the DECC said.

ENI chief operating officer of gas and power Domenico Dispenza said the firm would be looking to decide if the project was viable in the first quarter of 2011. If it went ahead it could be a commercial operation by 2015, he said.

“The Deborah gas storage facility will have a working capacity of 4.6 bcm, more than doubling the UK’s gas storage capacity, and enhancing security of supply for the UK and for North West Europe.

“ENI is pleased that the major regulatory requirements – the agreement for a lease from The Crown Estate and the Gas Storage Licence from DECC – are now in place.

“This enables us to focus on our current exercise to establish commercial demand for the facility.”?Energy minister Charles Hendry said: “This is potentially a vast and crucial development.”

Source: www.edp24.co.uk