Egdon Resources Plc’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Portland Gas Storage Limited (Portland Gas) has submitted a series of applications to seek permission to build a natural gas storage facility on the Isle of Portland and for the other infrastructure necessary to take and return gas to National Grid’s Transmission System.

Portland Gas has submitted a total of seven applications; a pipeline construction authorisation application submitted to the Department of Trade and Industry and a further six planning applications submitted to Dorset County Council.

The six planning applications comprise:

• The salt cavern gas storage facility at Upper Osprey, Isle of Portland.

• A brine wellsite at Stafford Farm, near West Stafford, adjacent to the gas pipeline, to store the brine used to compensate gas injection and withdrawal in the caverns. A separate brine pipeline will run to Portland from the site.

• An above ground installation at Mappowder, the connection to the National Grid, together with an adjacent temporary pipe storage area to be used during pipeline construction.

• A block valve station on the gas pipeline near Osmington.

• Two further temporary pipe storage areas and contractors’ temporary facilities close to the proposed pipeline route.

Portland Gas plans to create a sub-surface natural gas storage facility beneath the north east corner of the Isle of Portland. The proposed development would involve creating 14 storage caverns, at a depth of 2,400 metres, in a layer of thick rock salt. The facility is expected to be capable of storing 1,000 million cubic metres (35 billion cubic feet) of natural gas (equivalent to 1% of the UK’s total annual demand) and deliver 20 million cubic metres of gas per day from storage (equivalent to 5% of typical UK winter demand).

Andrew Hindle, Managing Director of Portland Gas, said ‘We are delighted to have completed the Environmental Impact Assessment for the project and drawn up a comprehensive Environmental Statement which accompanies the planning applications. It follows a significant two year effort by a large dedicated team of environmental consultants. The environmental team has worked closely with the technical team and both have held regular and invaluable informal meetings with the planning authorities and key Government agencies. This has enabled the project design to be steered towards the most environmentally acceptable solution.’