In the 1960s, the U.K. Gas industry underwent a wholesale change as manufactured town gas was replaced by natural gas from the North Sea and elsewhere for heating homes and businesses.
This necessitated a nationwide conversion programme in many respects -
- a national transmission system to transport the methane from import terminals around the county was constructed - while local transmission systems were infilled within local distribution networks
- gasworks were decommissioned or converted to national transmission system off takes and or gasholder stations
- every home and business was visited by the gas board to either replace their appliances or convert them with new burners.
Town gas was dirty, smelly, complicated to make and could be dangerous to the user due to its high carbon monoxide content. (You put your head in the oven and turn the gas on then, you die. Now, you have an upset stomach from the odourant in the methane). However it was home sourced - from increasingly modern works (several large ones had been built in the late 1950s) powered by coal from British pits. Nice bit of security of supply there (although as we're in alternative history territory we could frack the coal bed methane too...)
Is there any way in an ATL Britain (and maybe other countries?) could remain reliant on manufactured gas? Maybe like Hong Kong we could retain a few plants and have a town gas/methane mix?
I know this is niche but would be interested in your thoughts...
This necessitated a nationwide conversion programme in many respects -
- a national transmission system to transport the methane from import terminals around the county was constructed - while local transmission systems were infilled within local distribution networks
- gasworks were decommissioned or converted to national transmission system off takes and or gasholder stations
- every home and business was visited by the gas board to either replace their appliances or convert them with new burners.
Town gas was dirty, smelly, complicated to make and could be dangerous to the user due to its high carbon monoxide content. (You put your head in the oven and turn the gas on then, you die. Now, you have an upset stomach from the odourant in the methane). However it was home sourced - from increasingly modern works (several large ones had been built in the late 1950s) powered by coal from British pits. Nice bit of security of supply there (although as we're in alternative history territory we could frack the coal bed methane too...)
Is there any way in an ATL Britain (and maybe other countries?) could remain reliant on manufactured gas? Maybe like Hong Kong we could retain a few plants and have a town gas/methane mix?
I know this is niche but would be interested in your thoughts...