The UK's largest gas storage facility could be closed if the government does not help support the reconstruction of the site.

Centrica CEO Chris O'Shea told the BBC One on Sunday that its rough storage facilities would be "closed" without the government's help for energy pricing.

Centrica, which owns British gas, said the site will lose £100 million this year and hopes to invest £20 billion in the facility so it can use it to store more petrol, including hydrogen.

The government said Rough's future is Centrica's business decision, but it opens to discuss the recommendations.

The rough facilities are located off the East Yorkshire coast and account for about half of the UK's capacity to store natural gas.

It closed in 2017 but then partially reopened in October 2022 after the energy crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Centrica said earlier this month it was seeking a support mechanism in a “constructive discussion” with the government that would allow investment in rough locations.

The company is looking for a “hat and floor” pricing mechanism. This means that if the energy price is below a certain level, its income will be recharged, but if the price is too high, the price will be increased.

"All we ask for is the government help create conditions that will release £20 billion in investment," O'Shea told the BBC.

“It will create thousands of jobs at the construction stage and it will protect the work of offshore highly skilled colleagues.”

Without this investment, the site would be retired “we will lose that resilience”.

He said the UK currently has 12 days of natural gas storage, of which Rough provides for six days.

"So if we're not going to be tough anymore, then we're going to go down to six days. Now, if we're going to be tough enough, we're going to be about 25 or 30 days."

Last week, Mr O'Shea said the way the energy pricing mechanism works means that building renewable energy will not “substantively” lower UK electricity prices from current levels.

He told Laura Kuenssberg that decarbonization was very important and “a huge economic opportunity” when visiting the North Sea platform.

But he added: "We are seeing prices for electricity today as we are for new renewable developments".

“So new renewable development will not lower prices.”

He added that he believes the government's clean energy target for 2030 is "very challenging, but I think it's right for the energy minister to set a very stretched goal."

“It’s not impossible, no, but it’s not easy.”

Last year, Mr Osia told the BBC that the £4.5 million salary he received last year was "unable to prove".

Earlier this month, nearly 40% of Centrica's shareholders voted against the company's latest salary plan.

When Laura Kuenssberg was asked about this, Mr Osheim said: “I didn’t set my own salary.

"I think it's really hard," he said. "I'm very lucky. I have a job that I want to do more than ever."