Johnson hints UK oil and gas output must rise to cut dependence on Russia
Boris Johnson has said the UK may have to increase its domestic gas and oil production in order to wean itself off Russian resources, despite the opposition of climate campaigners and some scepticism in the cabinet.
The prime minister said the UK was looking at increasing North Sea output, although critics say it would take two decades to ramp up significantly and would have little immediate effect on the impending rise in domestic energy bills.
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, Johnson said: “One of the things we are looking at is the possibility of using more of our own hydrocarbons, and you’ll have heard already about what the business secretary has had to say about licences for UK domestic production.
“That doesn’t mean we are abandoning our commitment to reducing CO2 … We have got to reflect the reality that there is a crunch on at the moment. We need to intensify our self-reliance as a transition with more hydrocarbons.”
Johnson said he would be setting out an energy supply strategy in the days ahead “so that people have a sense of how we are going to meet people’s needs over the short, medium and long term”.
He insisted the increased focus on North Sea production would not undermine the UK’s push for net zero, but claimed it was a necessary move to ease the transition to renewables and nuclear.
Standing alongside Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, and Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, he said a ban on Russian fossil fuels was “very much on the table”. But he also agreed with Rutte that it could not be immediate and needed to be done “step by step”, with countries each going at their own pace.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, global oil and gas prices have climbed, with the price of Brent
Read more on theguardian.com
