(Bloomberg) -- Centrica Plc increased capacity at UK’s biggest gas storage site, providing a bigger safety cushion for next winter that will also help keep prices in check. 

After additional works, the Rough facility will be able to store as much as 54 billion cubic feet of the fuel compared with 30 billion before, Britain’s biggest energy supplier said Friday. The facility reopened last year amid the energy crisis, but at just a fifth of its former capacity. Centrica warned that the nation is still lagging behind other major nations in its ability to store the commodity.  

“The resilience of the UK’s energy system needs to be substantially improved,” Chief Executive Officer Chris O’Shea said in the statement. “But to do this we need the right regulatory support framework.”

With an average 12 days of gas in reserve, or 7.5 peak winter days, the UK lags behind both Germany at France, with 89 and 103 days respectively, the utility said. 

Read more: UK’s Centrica Warns More Gas Storage Needed for Energy Security

Centrica reiterated that it ultimately plans to transform Rough into a major methane and hydrogen storage facility. It’s ready to invest £2 billion, but it needs backing from the government. The company has said before that negotiations with the government have not progressed since Rough opened in October.

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