European winter gas-supply squeeze.
prob 0.46
severity 4.1 / 5 · revision 2026-05-10elevated · 45 European markets · gas + power + storage refill$ shortage country get GBR > stress_index: 0.36 STABLE > 4 events · 2 scenarios > refreshed 2026-05-17
BRENT $84.27 ▲ TTF €31.50 ▼ OPEC_SP 3.8 mb/d ● SPR_US 372.4 Mb FAO_FFPI 121.4 ▲
The v3.2 stress index is a six-axis composite of energy and food exposure, geopolitical pressure, fiscal headroom, demography and supply concentration, normalised to a 0–1 scale.
The United Kingdom retains declining North Sea oil and gas output and relies on large LNG import terminals and interconnectors to balance a power and heating system heavily weighted to gas. It holds little gas storage relative to demand. Domestic cereal output nearly matches consumption, but the country is a net food importer.
The UK is generally wet, but south-east England faces water stress, with reservoirs drawn down in dry summers.
| STOCK TYPE | RESERVE | DAYS COVER | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil · compulsory stocking obligationIndustry holds the IEA-equivalent 90 days of net oil-import cover under the UK's compulsory stocking obligation. | ~90 days | 90days | STABLE |
| Natural gas · storage and LNG terminalsGas storage is small relative to demand; supply leans on North Sea output, LNG imports and interconnectors with Norway and the continent. | limited storage | 15days | WATCH |
| Grain · commercial stocksDomestic cereal output nearly matches demand, but the UK remains a net food importer. | moderate | 60days | WATCH |
$ curl -s https://api.shortage.life/v1/countries/GBR | jq '.stress' > 0.36