National Grid is delighted to confirm that at 6.00am on 30 December 2008 commercial operations began at the first expansion of the Isle of Grain LNG Importation facility. It is therefore now available for its new and existing customers to berth and unload LNG vessels and to nominate gas flows into the downstream networks.

This brings to a successful conclusion a significant period of construction and commissioning which now means that the Isle of Grain facility, the only LNG importation terminal currently flowing into the UK, has the capacity to supply around 12 per cent of UK demand.

While this historic achievement is a landmark in the diversity of gas supply to the UK, it is only the first of two major expansions of the facility, with the second already under construction and currently due to be live in winter 2010/11.

For further media information only, please contact National Grid Media Relations, on 01926 656536

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It owns the high voltage electricity transmission system in England & Wales and operates the transmission system, balancing supply and demand, across Great Britain.

It also owns and operates gas and electricity transmission and gas distribution networks in the UK/US and electricity distribution networks in the US.

Other businesses operate in areas such as Metering, Grain LNG Import, Interconnectors and Property.

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