Kwarteng considers accelerating UK gas quality relaxation
Minister may override for now a consultation process being run by the country’s health and safety authorities
The UK government is considering “potential regulatory options to extract more gas from existing fields”, energy minister Kwasi Kwarteng told a London conference in late June. The assumption is that the administration is weighing up whether to temporarily widen the allowable specifications for gas injected into the UK’s national transmission system (NTS), ahead of any permanent decision made following the conclusion of a consultation by the country’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The HSE opened a consultation on a proposed revision of the UK’s Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996, or GSMR, in late January, closing on 21 March. GSMR apply to the conveyance of gas through pipes to dom
Also in this section
5 December 2025
Mistaken assumptions around an oil bull run that never happened are a warning over the talk of a supply glut
4 December 2025
Time is running out for Lukoil and Rosneft to divest international assets that will be mostly rendered useless to them when the US sanctions deadline arrives in mid-December
3 December 2025
Aramco’s pursuit of $30b in US gas partnerships marks a strategic pivot. The US gains capital and certainty; Saudi Arabia gains access, flexibility and a new export future
2 December 2025
The interplay between OPEC+, China and the US will define oil markets throughout 2026






