EXTERNAL PUBLICATIONS
HSE RR671
Failure rates for underground gas storage
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SUMMARY
The UK Government is considering the possibility of storing natural gas in a variety of underground gas storage (UGS) facilities. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has commissioned the British Geological Survey (BGS) to identify the main types of facilities currently in operation worldwide and any documented or reported failures and incidents which have led to release of stored product. Quintessa have been subcontracted by BGS to support this work by developing leakage scenarios for stored natural gas and carrying out simple scoping calculations to evaluate the likely significance of leakage. The Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) has also been commissioned by HSE to carry out an assessment of UGS facilities to confirm whether or not the failure of the cavern itself through geological causes is significant enough to be considered for Land Use Planning (LUP) purposes.
This report and the work it describes were funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy.
