The UK is in talks with Norway about a two-decade-long deal for gas supplies.
Ministers are reported to be in discussions with their Nordic counterparts about prices for a potential 20-year gas supply contract.
Norway is already the UK's largest supplier of gas, but there is growing competition for its output as countries across Europe cope with the loss of Russian supplies.
Ofgem, the energy regulator, warned there was a "significant risk" of gas shortages in Britain this winter earlier this week.
Severe shortages could see power stations that generate electricity from gas cut off, posing a risk to electricity supplies.
Prime Minister Liz Truss said ministers were "looking" at multi-year gas deals with Norway and also around the world.
Energy security is vital
She added: "I have not signed any deal. But what I'm saying is that Britain's energy security is vital and what we will be doing is always looking for value for money, of course we will, but it's important that we have that long-term energy security."
Maddy McTiernan, the civil servant who led the Covid vaccine taskforce, was appointed last month to try and secure long-term contracts with domestic and international oil and gas producers.
The Telegraph says Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Business Secretary, also met with the Qatari minister for energy affairs, Saad Sheriba Al-Kaabi, in London yesterday.
Their talks covered "energy relations and co-operation between Qatar and the UK and means to enhance them," according to a statement from state-owned energy company Qatar Energy.
Qatar has also been a long-standing supplier of gas to the UK, with the two countries forging closer ties through a strategic investment partnership in May.
Britain has been exporting record amounts of gas to Europe in recent months, acting as a "gas bridge" for imports from the US and around the world, and helping Europe build up its stocks.
Shortages still possible
Stocks are now well ahead of target, at about 89% full in the EU, though shortages are still possible depending on the weather and availability of imports.
Ben Luckock, co-head of oil trading at Trafigura, warned of the difficulty of getting through next winter without Russian gas.
"We may well avoid a disaster this winter, we are more concerned about the following winter," he told the Energy Intelligence Forum in London.
Outages on France's nuclear fleet have added to the stress on the energy system, as have low hydro power levels in Norway.