Europe / Caspian / CIS
Country profile: United Kingdom
| Location: | Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France |
| Climate: | temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast |
| Terrain: | mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast |
| Size: | 244820 sq. km total (Land area: 241590 sq. km Water area: 3230 sq.km) |
| Population: | 60,943,912 (July 2008 est.) |
| Languages: | English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland) |
| Government: | constitutional monarchy |
| Capital city: | London |
| Legal system: | based on common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
| Currency: | British pound (GBP) |
| Licensing: |
Country profile
The United Kingdom (UK) is an important political and economic power in Europe and the world. It has the second-largest economy in the European Union (EU) with a nominal 2005 gross domestic product (GDP) of $2.2 trillion. The UK economy grew by 1.8 percent in 2005, with growth of 2.2 percent forecasted for 2006. While the UK has been a member of the EU since 1973, it does not participate in the European single currency, the Euro. The UK is the largest producer of oil and natural gas in the EU.
However, after years of being a net exporter of both fuels, the UK became a net importer of natural gas in 2004. Government estimates also predict that the country will become a net importer of oil by the end of the decade. Production from UK oil and natural gas fields peaked in the late 1990s and has declined steadily over the past several years, as the discovery of new reserves has not kept pace with the maturation of existing fields. In response, the government has begun a three-pronged approach to address the predicted domestic shortfalls: 1) increasing domestic production through efficiency gains and the exploitation of marginal fields; 2) establishing necessary import infrastructure, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminals and transnational pipelines; and 3) investing in energy conservation and renewables.
Energy production and consumption
| Oil | Gas | |
| Production: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 84 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Consumption: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 91 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Exports: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 8 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Imports: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 15 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Reserves: | 4 billion bbl (1 January 2006 est.) | 509 |
| Major fields: |
United Kingdom - recent news
| 03 Apr 26 |
UK: Record-breaking stats show renewables generated over half UK’s electricity for the second year running New statistics released by the Government show that renewables generated a record 52.5% of the UK’s electricity in 2025 - the second consecutive year in which they have exceeded 50%, and an increase on the previous high of 50.4% in 2024. |
| 03 Apr 26 |
UK: Enviromena starts construction on two solar farm projects in Shropshire The projects at Rock Farm near Ludlow and Steeraway near Telford, which have a combined solar capacity of 90MWp, mark the latest phase of delivery within Enviromena’s growing UK portfolio, as the company continues to scale its development, construction and long-term ownership of solar assets. |
| 02 Apr 26 |
UK: Reeves and Swinney give support to Rosebank and Jackdaw First Minister John Swinney and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have backed the Rosebank and Jackdaw projects in the North Sea. Swinney said the Iran war 'changes the balance of the arguments', while Reeves warned we must 'take control of our own energy supplies here in Britain'. |
| 02 Apr 26 |
UK: Green Hydrogen Production confirmed at Port of Tilbury in major boost for UK industrial decarbonisation GeoPura and Forth Ports have signed a landmark agreement to produce green hydrogen on site at the Port of Tilbury starting this year. This plant will support the decarbonisation of one of the UK’s most important logistics hubs and position Tilbury among the first major British ports to host commercial-scale hydrogen production for heavy industrial use. |
| 02 Apr 26 |
UK: Groundbreaking new research begins on sustainable wind turbine tower design made with UK steel The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult is leading a groundbreaking research and development team to transform the design and manufacture of steel onshore wind turbine towers – making them more efficient and sustainable. |
United Kingdom - more news
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