OREANDA-NEWS. November 15, 2012. National Grid welcomed Scottish Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism to its gas terminal at St Fergus, NE Scotland, as part of its celebration of 200 years of gas.

Jeff Smith, National Grid's terminal manager explained the 35 year history of the gas terminal at St Fergus before giving the Minister a tour of the site. Mr Ewing was able to see the control room where the flow of gas from Apache, Shell and Total's terminals are monitored and controlled into the national transmission system (NTS), the motorway pipeline system, which transports natural gas around the country. Then he went out onto the site to see the network of pipes, compressors and valves which pump gas into the NTS.

Mr Smith said: "St Fergus gas terminal has played a significant role in the 200 year history of gas, transporting gas from the North Sea to the whole of the UK.

"The terminal at its peak provided more than a third of the UK's natural gas and continues to play an important role in providing safe and secure energy to homes around the country now and into the future."

QUOTE from Mr Ewing.

It was 200 years ago when Scottish born William Murdoch became the first person in the world to use gas for lighting. His invention and discoveries made it possible for the Gas Light & Coke company to begin operations in June 1812.

This was the beginning of the use of gas and it has developed over the years from lighting our homes and streets to heating our homes, converting from town gas to natural gas between 1967-1977, building the first natural gas pipeline and building the gas terminal at St Fergus, once the largest import terminal of gas in the UK.

Mr Smith continued: "Gas has had an interesting history and has developed over 200 years. I am pleased that Mr Ewing was able to come to the terminal today and see for himself this important site and share in our celebrations of 200 years of gas."