A buildup of mud and dust is clogging the filters of the ‘Interconnector,’ a major pipeline between the UK and the European mainland, slowing the supply of gas to mainland Europe, Bloomberg news agency reported on Thursday.
This has forced the operator of the Interconnector to shut down the pipeline 24 times this year, while the filters that keep the gas clean normally only need to be replaced twice a year.
The filters collected a total of 450 kilogrammes of dirt and 250 litres of liquids this year.
The ‘interconnector’ runs between Zeebrugge and Bacton, in the United Kingdom. Natural gas can flow through it in both directions, to the United Kingdom, and to mainland Europe. In the winter, the gas usually flows towards Bacton.
Every year, 20 billion cubic metres of natural gas flows to Belgium and 25.5 billion cubic metres to the United Kingdom.
