Answer extracted from The Future of Utilities Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
Is the UK actually decommissioning its gas networks right now?
The UK gas network is still actively growing, not shrinking. Gas networks are connecting more new customers than they are disconnecting, which means the starting point for any decommissioning conversation is fundamentally different from where the industry operates today. Rushing to decommission this infrastructure would cause household bills to spike dramatically.
The network is expanding, not contracting
The first challenge in discussing gas network decommissioning is acknowledging the actual current state of the infrastructure. Rather than dismantling systems, the industry is still in a growth phase. This reality shapes every conversation about the future of gas in the UK energy system.
This expansion reflects genuine ongoing demand across households and businesses. The infrastructure was built to last decades, and removing it would require far more than a policy decision—it would require solving an enormous economic problem for existing customers. As James Earl explains in the episode, the networks currently achieve remarkable reliability standards designed to serve these growing customer bases reliably.
Why premature decommissioning would harm customers
The economic consequences of rushing decommissioning are substantial. When infrastructure is depreciated across millions of customers over decades, removing it before its natural lifecycle ends means spreading those costs across fewer remaining users—a direct path to higher bills.
This is why the conversation needs to start with a different framing: not "how fast can we decommission," but "how do we transition responsibly while keeping energy affordable." The gas networks serve critical functions today, especially during peak demand and extreme weather, and that reality must shape any realistic timeline for network evolution.
"It has a fundamental role to play across a lot of different end uses, whether that be in power generation when renewables output is low, or in industry that needs really high temperature processes."
James Earl — Chief Executive, Future Energy Networks. Earl leads the membership organisation representing the UK's gas networks, including National Gas and the four gas distribution networks in Great Britain, as well as Northern Irish Gas Networks. His perspective combines oversight of operational networks with deep insight into how gas and electricity sectors must work together in the evolving energy system.
The data centers seeking gas connections despite long electricity wait times offer a concrete example of why gas networks still matter in modern infrastructure. The episode explores how these facilities are being quoted up to 15 years for electricity connections, turning gas networks into a vital alternative for energy-intensive operations.
Key takeaways
- Gas networks are currently expanding with more new connections than disconnections, not contracting.
- Premature decommissioning would force remaining customers to absorb infrastructure costs, driving bills sharply upward.
- The starting point for any decommissioning discussion must account for the network's current growth trajectory and active role across multiple sectors.
- Gas networks achieve 99.9999% reliability and are designed to handle extreme weather and peak demand, roles they still need to play during any energy transition.
See also
Why are data centers increasingly connecting to gas networks instead of waiting for electricity connections?
Data centers are looking at the gas network because they are being quoted up to 15 years for electricity infrastructure connections, which simply does not align with their operational timelines.
How can green gases like biomethane complement renewable electricity in future energy systems?
Biomethane is already in the grid today at about 1% of gas use, and could potentially meet between a fifth or a sixth of current gas demand in the future.
What reliability standard do gas networks achieve during extreme weather conditions?
Gas networks are designed to a 1 in 20 resilience standard, which means they can cope with the coldest weather conditions that could possibly be expected in any 20-year period.