A leaked official report from the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has revealed that British households could be facing a significant financial burden, with each home potentially footing a bill of £2,300 to facilitate the shutdown of the gas grid.
The report, as disclosed by The Sunday Telegraph, suggests the decommissioning of the gas grid, which spans 176,000 miles and serves eight out of every ten homes, carries an estimated price tag of £65 billion, according to the NIC’s findings.
Experts warn that unused pipes left unattended may deteriorate, potentially leading to road infrastructure problems.
Funding for this project appears uncertain at present, as there is no provision for decommissioning in the existing government budgets and energy companies are not legally obligated to cover these costs.
As a result, households may be left with the responsibility, either through increased energy bills or taxes.
In response to the leak, a spokesperson for the NIC told Energy Live News (ELN), “We don’t comment on leaked reports. We will publish information on different options for the future of the gas network as part of the next National Infrastructure Assessment in October.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero refuted the claims made in the report.
The spokesperson told ELN: “This claim is simply untrue. Our gas network will always be part of our energy system and therefore any such estimations are wrong.
“We have and will always put affordability at the heart of our approach to improving it. We will continue to work with the industry to explore if using hydrogen offers value for money for consumers and meets the required safety standards.”
