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Supplying UK gas

Supplying UK gas

Find out more about natural gas, and how Shell UK is helping to supply the crucial energy the UK needs today.

In 2024, 78.2% of Shell’s global investments included oil & gas, 11.37% included low-carbon energy solutions and 10.43% non-energy products. Shell’s target is to become a net-zero emissions (NZE) energy business by 2050. Disclaimers, including NZE target: shell.com/disclaimer

In the UK, as the country moves towards its target of net-zero emissions by 2050, Shell UK aims to play a leading role in securing vital energy for today, while investing in, and helping to build, the energy system of the future.

Shell UK helps supply more than 20% of the UK’s gas.

How does the UK use natural gas?

Hand-in-hand with the growth in low- and zero-carbon energy, North Sea gas will continue to play a critically important role in the energy transition and meeting the UK’s energy demand.

Source: Offshore Energies UK Business Outlook, 2025

73%

Percentage of UK homes heated by gas

30%

Percentage gas contributes to UK’s power supply

90%

Percentage of gas the UK is projected to import in 2050

Getting gas from the North Sea to UK homes and businesses

Processing and distribution

Gas from the North Sea is piped to our gas plant at St. Fergus near Peterhead in Scotland, and gas from the Southern North Sea at Bacton near Norfolk, England.

At these gas plants, the gas is processed before being transported into the UK’s national gas network, where it travels through a vast network of pipes which run beneath the ground to get to where it needs to go – including UK homes and businesses.

We also operate the Fife Natural Gas Liquids Plant (FNGL) and the Braefoot Bay Marine Terminal in Mossmorran, Scotland. The NGLs are received at the plant via a 220km underground pipeline from the St Fergus gas plant and separated into ethane, propane, butane and gasoline.

Shell UK is also a shareholder in the Dragon Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in Wales, which provides a critical link between the UK and overseas gas suppliers, bringing in LNG from 19 countries.

Gas from Norway

Gas from the deep-water Ormen Lange project 120 kilometres (75 miles) off the coast of Norway also contributes towards the UK’s gas needs. We pipe it to a processing plant on land at Nyhamna in Norway. Once impurities are removed from the gas, it is piped to the UK through one of the world’s longest subsea pipelines.

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Building skills for the energy transition

Shell UK is investing in people and communities to help build the skills the UK needs for the energy transition.

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Helping power the UK now, and into the future

From providing access to electric vehicle (EV) chargers, to helping supply UK gas, to building skills for the energy transition. Learn how Shell UK is helping power the UK now, and into the future.

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Shell's target is to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050.

Shell’s climate target

Shell’s climate target

Tackling climate change is an urgent challenge. That’s why Shell’s target is to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050. This means net-zero carbon emissions from our operations. It also means net-zero carbon emissions from the energy products we sell, including those produced by others, which currently account for over 90% of the total emissions we report.

Shell are investing $10-15 billion on low-carbon energy solutions between 2023 and the end of 2025. Shell are also investing in oil and gas production with lower emissions as we provide energy today while helping to build the low-carbon energy system of the future.

Learn more about the target and progress so far

Frequently asked questions

Why are you still investing in oil and gas?

The world will need energy from oil and gas for many years to come. Just over two-thirds of Shell’s capital spending in 2023 was on maintaining supplies of the vital energy the world needs today. This includes liquefied natural gas (LNG) which we expect will remain a critical part of the energy mix for many years to come, providing secure energy, replacing coal in industry and providing stability to the electricity grid.

Shell is also a significant investor in the energy transition, investing $10-15 billion between 2023 and the end of 2025 in low-carbon energy solutions.

What’s the role of gas in the energy transition?

Gas is available at scale and serves both energy security and the energy transition. It provides heating and cooling for industries, homes and businesses and is fuelling trucks and ships. It also provides grid stability and flexibility, which enables the continued growth of wind and solar energy in electricity generation. A crucial immediate step to lowering emissions is switching from coal to natural gas to generate electricity, which can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and dramatically improve air quality.

How does gas fit with Shell’s and the UK’s net-zero ambitions?

Hand in hand with the growth in low and zero-carbon energy, North Sea gas will continue to play a critically important role in the energy transition and meeting the UK’s energy demand. The UK Climate Change Committee estimates that 20% of our energy will still come from oil and gas in 2050. To maintain the secure supply of energy on which the country relies, it is vital that the world does not dismantle the current energy system faster than it can build the energy system of the future.

Shell’s target is to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050. This means net-zero carbon emissions from our operations – our Scope 1 and 2 emissions – and net zero from the end use of all the energy products we sell – the Scope 3 emissions we report – which account for over 90% of the total emissions reported. Learn more

What are some of the benefits of producing homegrown gas, rather than having to import it?

According to analysis published by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), North Sea gas is significantly cleaner and supports the drive to net zero greenhouse gas emissions far more than imports. This is because of both the way the gas is transferred and, in some cases, the methods of extraction. Helping to deliver UK energy security and the drive to reach net zero go hand-in-hand. The analysis shows that domestically-produced gas creates significantly fewer emissions than average imports, and that continuing to produce gas in the UK as cleanly as possible will assist in the drive to cut emissions.

Cautionary Note

The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this content “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this content refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. The term “joint venture”, “joint operations”, “joint arrangements”, and “associates” may also be used to refer to a commercial arrangement in which Shell has a direct or indirect ownership interest with one or more parties. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

Forward-Looking Statements

This content contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “aim”; “ambition”; ‘‘anticipate’’; ‘‘believe’’; “commit”; “commitment”; ‘‘could’’; ‘‘estimate’’; ‘‘expect’’; ‘‘goals’’; ‘‘intend’’; ‘‘may’’; “milestones”; ‘‘objectives’’; ‘‘outlook’’; ‘‘plan’’; ‘‘probably’’; ‘‘project’’; ‘‘risks’’; “schedule”; ‘‘seek’’; ‘‘should’’; ‘‘target’’; ‘‘will’’; “would” and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this content, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, such as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, regional conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, and a significant cybersecurity breach; and (n) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this content are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Shell plc’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 (available at www.shell.com/investors/news-and-filings/sec-filings.html and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this content and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this content. Neither Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this content.

Shell’s Net Carbon Intensity

Also, in this content we may refer to Shell’s “Net Carbon Intensity” (NCI), which includes Shell’s carbon emissions from the production of our energy products, our suppliers’ carbon emissions in supplying energy for that production and our customers’ carbon emissions associated with their use of the energy products we sell. Shell’s NCI also includes the emissions associated with the production and use of energy products produced by others which Shell purchases for resale. Shell only controls its own emissions. The use of the terms Shell’s “Net Carbon Intensity” or NCI are for convenience only and not intended to suggest these emissions are those of Shell plc or its subsidiaries.

Shell’s net-zero emissions target

Shell’s operating plan, outlook and budgets are forecasted for a ten-year period and are updated every year. They reflect the current economic environment and what we can reasonably expect to see over the next ten years. Accordingly, they reflect our Scope 1, Scope 2 and NCI targets over the next ten years. However, Shell’s operating plans cannot reflect our 2050 net-zero emissions target, as this target is currently outside our planning period. In the future, as society moves towards net-zero emissions, we expect Shell’s operating plans to reflect this movement. However, if society is not net zero in 2050, as of today, there would be significant risk that Shell may not meet this target.

Forward-Looking non-GAAP measures

This content may contain certain forward-looking non-GAAP measures such as cash capital expenditure and divestments. We are unable to provide a reconciliation of these forward-looking non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures because certain information needed to reconcile those non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures is dependent on future events some of which are outside the control of Shell, such as oil and gas prices, interest rates and exchange rates. Moreover, estimating such GAAP measures with the required precision necessary to provide a meaningful reconciliation is extremely difficult and could not be accomplished without unreasonable effort. Non-GAAP measures in respect of future periods which cannot be reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measure are calculated in a manner which is consistent with the accounting policies applied in Shell plc’s consolidated financial statements.

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