Interconnector Ltd (INT) has reduced its import capacity into Great Britain from 73mcm/d to 61mcm/d, effective from 04 November 2025, according to the government's statutory security of supply report published on 17 December 20251. The report states that INT "has held an open season on capacity sales and reduced capacity from 73mcm/d to 61mcm/d from 04 November 2025"1. The same report records that INT has "announced plans to reduce import capacity to 36mcm/d from 01 October 2026"1.
The change affects one of the pipelines and interconnectors that carry gas into the GB system. The report describes GB's gas supply as coming from a diverse range of sources: domestic gas from the UK Continental Shelf, imports via the Norwegian Continental Shelf, the interconnectors, and LNG from global supply routes1. It notes that UK Continental Shelf reserves are continuing to deplete for geological reasons1.
The report, prepared jointly by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, concludes that GB "is expected to have the ability to access and secure sufficient supplies of electricity and gas to meet consumers' demands over the short and long-term", an assessment covering the next four calendar years1. On gas specifically, it says the changing supply mix over that period is expected to coincide with a "robust, oversupplied global LNG market"1.
The report does not state the reasons for INT's capacity reduction, and no figure is given for what share of GB peak gas demand the lost capacity represents. Those details have not been reported1.
"INT has held an open season on capacity sales and reduced capacity from 73mcm/d to 61mcm/d from 04 November 2025"
| Interconnector Ltd capacity | Volume | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| Previous import capacity | 73mcm/d | Until 04 November 2025 |
| Reduced import capacity | 61mcm/d | From 04 November 2025 |
| Announced further reduction | 36mcm/d | From 01 October 2026 |
Why it matters for households
Gas imported through interconnectors feeds directly into home heating, hot water and cooking for the majority of GB households, and into gas-fired power stations that generate electricity. A reduction in import capacity narrows one of the routes by which supply reaches the system, at a time when domestic production from the UK Continental Shelf is declining1.
The report's overall conclusion is that sufficient supplies are expected to be available across the next four years, supported by an oversupplied global LNG market1. For a household, the practical question is not the capacity figure itself but what it means for the reliability of supply at times of high demand, and for the wholesale prices that feed through to bills. The report does not draw a link between this capacity change and household prices, and no such link has been reported1.
The report also sets out the wider framework for energy security and household independence, including the role of gas pipelines and interconnectors in the national supply picture and how wholesale gas and electricity markets price what arrives.
What happens next
The further reduction to 36mcm/d is scheduled for 01 October 20261. Separately, the report records that the next Capacity Market auctions will be held in March 20261, and that a DESNZ consultation on the gas system in transition closes on 18 February 20261.