The shocking state of Britain’s energy supply has been laid bare in a devastating report by Facts4EU and GB News.
Analysis of data from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero reveals Britain now imports an eye-watering 41 per cent of its energy from abroad.
UK's primary fuel imports rose to 40.8 per cent last year, a four year high
Facts4EU
While down from a historic high of 48 per cent in the early 2010’s, that figure is at a four-year high, up 11 per cent since 2020 when energy imports made up 28 per cent.
The figure was also 6.8 per cent higher than in 2022 when energy imports stood at 37.0 per cent.
It means of the UK’s gross fuel consumption of 170.3m tonnes, 69.5m tonnes was imported last year, raising serious questions about the UK’s resilience in an increasingly volatile Europe.
Energy is a vital component of a functioning of society, from heating and lighting peoples’ homes to allowing businesses to operate.
Allowing its supply to be controlled by a foreign country, who in theory could ‘turn off the tap’ at any moment, puts Britain in a vulnerable position.
Where is our energy coming from?
One vital part of our ‘energy mix’ that can be measured accurately is electricity, vital for keeping the lights on across Britain.
Last year, the UK generated 316.8 TWh (terawatt-hour) and imported 23.8 TWh via cable from Europe.
Although only 7.5 per cent of the UK’s electricity, that is enough to seriously derail the UK if the supply was affected or turned off.
Facts4EU’s analysis revealed France and Norway to be the biggest suppliers of electricity to the UK.
UK's electricity imports by country
Facts4EU
While it is unlikely that France would turn off the power, it is not inconceivable that the supply could be disrupted, as it was in 2022 when France’s nuclear power stations suffered widespread outages.
There is also the risk of attack on underwater cables, as has been recently demonstrated in Taiwan and Germany. Both countries reported suspected sabotage of cables by China and Russia respectively.
Indeed, MPs and Lords will examine threats to undersea cables in a new inquiry launched last week by the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy.
It comes as Labour and Ed Miliband face increasing pressure to row back on lofty net zero targets.
Labour is investing £22billion into carbon capture technology, but MPs warned today that the technology is ‘unproven’ and work needs to be done to make sure this investment is value for money for the taxpayer.
A damning report from the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) found red Ed’s plans to be a high-risk gamble that will have a significant impact on bills.
Based on their being 28million households in the UK, Miliband’s investment will cost each house £800, albeit over a period of years.
Energy has been high on Keir Starmer’s agenda this week as he threw support behind plans to expand the UK’s network of nuclear power stations.
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Starmer and Miliband have been increasingly opposed on environmental issues such as the extraction of oil from the Rosebank oilfield
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However, it emerged today plans for a nuclear power station on Anglesey off the coast of north east Wales were scrapped after government planning inspectors said it could ‘harm the Welsh language’.
Critics have said the case shows how impossible it is to build anything in the UK with its stringent planning laws.
Keir Starmer has attacked these laws, highlighting how it took 30,000 pages of environmental reports to obtain permission to build Sizewell C, the UK’s only nuclear plant currently being built.
The PM did score win today when Miliband backtracked on his historic opposition to a third runway at Heathrow.
The former Labour leader had promised to resign over the issue in 2009 and voted against plans in 2018.
However, he u-turned on previous climate concerns saying he would accept Cabinet ‘collective responsibility’ this time round.
But the two remain at loggerheads over the potential exploitation of the UK’s oil and gas fields in the North Sea.
There are thought to be 500million barrels of oil in Britain’s Rosebank oilfield, enough to power 7 per cent of UK’s yearly energy needs.
Starmer indicated yesterday his support for extraction which would support British jobs and bolster our energy supplies.
But the PM’s Energy Secretary called extraction a ‘waste of money’ and an ‘act of climate vandalism.’
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Spokesperson said: “We have no concerns and are confident we will have a sufficient gas supply and electricity capacity to meet demand this winter, due to our diverse and resilient energy system.
“Every family in the country has paid the price of Britain’s dependence on global fossil fuel markets. That is why we are sprinting to clean, homegrown energy, so the UK can take back control of its energy with cleaner, affordable power.
“Our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower will maintain the UK’s energy security in the long term - investing in clean homegrown power and protecting billpayers.”
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