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UK GAS-Curve prices dip on weak crude oil

* Winter gas down 0.45 pence at 43.9 p/therm

* Spot contracts post slight gains

July 11 (Reuters) - British wholesale forward gas prices edged lower on Monday as crude oil prices weakened.

Benchmark winter 2016 gas fell 0.45 pence to 43.90 pence per therm by 0945 GMT, while front-month August dipped by 0.11 pence to 34.69 pence.

Brent crude oil was down more than 1 percent at $46.22 a barrel on signs that U.S (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) . shale drillers have adapted to lower prices as well as renewed indications of economic weakness in Asia.

Oil prices and forward gas contracts are linked because of the prevalence of indexing long-term supplies of gas to crude oil benchmarks in Europe.

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"Contracts further out have softened during the morning session, taking direction from lower oil and carbon prices," said Wingas UK's head of trading Marcel Boonaert.

Britain's gas grid was oversupplied by 10 million cubic metres (mcm) of gas, with demand estimated well above seasonal norms at 177.8 mcm/day, National Grid (LSE: NG.L - news) data showed.

Less demand for gas in power generation helped to drive the system long, analysts at Thomson Reuters (Dusseldorf: TOC.DU - news) said.

Only spot contracts resisted oil's bearish pull, with gas for immediate delivery up 0.1 pence at 33.3 pence per therm in spite of an amply supplied transmission system.

The extension of maintenance at Conoco Phillips' J-Area gas field to July 18 from July 12 may have helped to support prices.

The British Diamond liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker is to arrive at the Isle of Grain import terminal on July 12 to load and export a cargo, further firming sentiment on prompt prices.

Traders initially expected liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers arriving in the country to weigh on prices in expectation that they would add to supply.

In the Netherlands, the day-ahead gas price at the TTF hub was 0.02 euros lower at 13.98 euros per megawatt-hour (MWh).

In Europe's carbon market the front-year EU Allowance (EUA) slipped 0.07 euroa to 4.48 euros a tonne. (Reporting by Oleg Vukmanovic; Editing by Nina Chestney and David Goodman)