The government won’t risk energy security as it moves towards net zero goals, Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho has said, outlining the need for unabated gas power in the electricity system beyond 2030.
In its mission to decarbonise all sectors of the UK economy by 2050, the government has nevertheless been consistent in its support for the oil and gas sector.
“As we move towards clean energy, we must be realistic. Renewables will play a critical role, but we won’t risk energy security,” Ms. Coutinho told the Energy Transitions conference in London on Tuesday.
The energy secretary has also stressed the need to back energy investors in order “keep the lights on” and keep people “safe and warm.”
“We need gas to fill in the gaps when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine. I’ll back investors to build it,” she said on social media platform X ahead of the conference.
Ms. Coutinho spoke about a new era when energy can be weaponised against the UK. She added that the nation’s renewables-based system must be backed up by unabated gas.
Her comments align with recent statements by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who vowed to back the oil and gas industry and North Sea exploration projections. According to Mr. Sunak, the “right long-term decisions” are necessary to ensure the success of the net zero transition.
“When the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing, this is how we will keep your lights on and your bills down. It is the insurance policy Britain needs to protect our energy security, while we deliver our net zero transition,” Mr. Sunak said.
He also criticised the opposition’s energy strategy, calling it a “fantasy approach.”
“Labour’s pledge that there must be no unabated gas running in 2030 would plunge households into darkness, just to satisfy their Just Stop Oil mates. The approach would be music to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s ears and would leave Britain vulnerable,” said the prime minister.
Energy Reliance
In the beginning of the year, the government approved 24 new licences for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, bringing the total to 51, after 27 licences were offered in the first allocation last year.Ministers said that support of the North Sea oil, gas, and energy sector will protect 200,000 British jobs and boost the economy.
Concerned with Britain’s reliance on energy imported from abroad, the government believes that domestic production will protect the economy from the international market volatility.
“We will continue to need oil and gas over the coming decades, so it is common sense to make the most of our own resources—with domestically produced gas almost four times cleaner than importing liquefied natural gas from abroad,” said minister for energy security and net zero, Graham Stuart.
Shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband has acknowledged the need to replace retiring gas-fired stations, but said that the Conservatives couldn’t deliver a sustainable energy alternative and lower taxpayers’ bills.
Part of Labour’s plan to ensure energy security is to launch a new publicly-owned company called GB Energy, which will invest in clean homegrown power. Headquartered in Scotland, the company—as well as the £2.5 billion British Jobs Bonus scheme—will support thousands of jobs, Labour said.
