Energy infrastructure

Please stop with such nonsense scaremongering!

You have been told this already multiple times, they can't cut off moffat as it also supplies Northern Ireland, which of course is still part of the UK. Also Gas Networks Ireland operates half the pipeline network in Northern Ireland.

That is also in addition to Marks point that the UK is a net importer of gas and as such is itself reliant on gas from the EU.

"Do you honestly think any uk government will keep Moffat going if England can’t supply 100% of its own network, in the event of shortages this winter or next?"

Yes, absolutely, they'll keep it going. For a number of reasons:

1. The amount of gas sent via Moffat is very little compared to what the UK uses overall. Cutting it off simply wouldn't be worth the political fallout with Norway, the EU, Northern Ireland, the EU and the US.
2. Ireland has contracts to buy gas directly from Norway, which transits via the UK. Norway won't allow the UK to interfere with those contracts, remember the UK gets 40% of it's gas from Norway.
3. Cutting off Ireland, means Britain gets cut off from the mainland EU gas storage facilities, which it absolutely relies on in winter.
4. Cutting Ireland off would spark a trade war with the EU and in that scenario, Norway would back the EU.
5. President Biden and the US would lose their minds if the UK cut Ireland off. Keep in mind Biden is of Irish descent and the Irish American vote is very large. Britain is reliant on LNG coming from the US. If the UK cut Irelkand off, then it is likely the US would threaten to cut of those LNG supplies to the UK.

For Britain it really isn't worth the trouble that would come from cutting off Moffat. It would be political, energy and economic suicide.

Despite Brexit, the UK is fundamentally tied to the European wide energy market and they will need to work with the EU and Norway in dealing with the Russian energy crisis.

"The CRU is on record saying we are at odds with EU protocol with regards to our dependence on a non Eu country for 70% of our gas:"

This is true and something that we can discuss.

First of all, we aren't the only country, Malta and one other that I've forgotten is also in the same boat.

Second there are simply no quick, easy or cheap solutions to this. Or options are:

1. Build out our wind/solar and green hydrogen even quicker then planned so we can be truly energy independent and secure.
2. Build LNG terminals. Though note we would still be reliant on foreign imports and the EU wide market.
3. Build a gas interconnector to either mainland Europe or Norway.
4. Develop our own indigenous gas resources, either off shore or freaking.

A couple of issues with the above.

1. Any of the above will take many years to put in place, non of them are solutions for this winter.
2. All will lead to a significant increase in energy prices for Irish consumers. This is because we would need to pay the Billions it would cost to build this new infrastructure.
3. Any gas infrastructure we build will become a stranded asset once Hydrogen gets up and going.