Commenting on the speech by the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch (September 2) on extracting oil and gas from the North Sea, RenewableUK's Executive Director of Policy and Engagement Ana Musat said:
'Electricity demand is set to surge in the UK over the next five to ten years, with more electric vehicles, data centres and heat pumps coming online. The best way to meet this demand is to scale up on renewables as fast as possible, as clean power projects generate electricity at a stable and predictable prices. The UK has the best wind resources in Europe, and as we build even larger projects further out to sea where wind speeds are even higher, offshore wind is taking its place at the heart of our energy system.
'The UK's extractable oil and gas reserves in the North Sea have dwindled to a point where we can no longer rely on them to meet our growing power needs, so renewables need to be a key part of the generation mix if we are to achieve energy security. Reliance on oil and gas won't reduce bills either, as the oil and gas we extract in UK waters is sold on international markets at volatile prices which we have no control over. Everyone remembers the hard lessons we learned when global gas prices shot up three years ago, forcing the Government to spend an unprecedented £47 billion to bail out billpayers during the energy crisis. The only way to strengthen Britain's energy security and reduce bills permanently is to focus our efforts on the transition to clean power'.
Source: RenewableUK
