By Rebecca Bream
Published: March 1 2008 03:01 | Last updated: March 1 2008 03:01
Shell was unable to say on Friday when its Bacton gas processing terminal – which handles about 10 per cent of the UK’s supply – would be back up and running following a huge fire on Thursday night.
However, the company insisted there would be “no detrimental effect” on the security of the nation’s gas supplies.
It said the BBL gas pipeline from the Netherlands and the gas interconnector with Belgium, which both come into the Norfolk terminal, were unaffected by the blaze.
The fire started just after 6pm in Shell’s waste water system, but was soon extinguished and none of the 46 staff was injured.
Shell reopened its Bacton Seal gas terminal on Friday, which had been closed for maintenance, helping to mitigate any gas shortages caused by the fire at its main Bacton facility.
Centrica, owner of British Gas, said that higher-than-usual amounts of gas were being pumped out of its Rough gas storage facility in the North Sea, which also helped make up the short fall.
“National Grid has confirmed there is more than enough supply coming into the country from all the various sources,” said Shell.
It added: “National Grid is confident there will be no detrimental effect on security of supply. Only the Shell terminal at the Bacton site is affected.”
Gas prices in the wholesale market spiked on Friday morning as traders tried to assess the impact of the fire, with gas for same-day delivery, jumping as much as 19 per cent to 62p a therm, the highest level since 2006.
But prices fell back after Shell reassured the market that there would be no shortage of gas, to 54.9p a therm, about 5 per cent higher than prices on Thursday.
Traders said that prices could stay relatively high if the Shell terminal did not reopen soon, and if cold weather persisted and boosted demand for central heating.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
