UK energy strategy – live: PM promises ‘clean power’ while boosting fossil fuel drilling as full plan revealed

Strategy set to shun onshore wind power and clear way to increased oil and gas production

Johnson announces 'Energy Security Strategy' to bring cleaner, affordable power to UK

Boris Johnson has promised “clean, affordable, secure power” and to keep drilling for fossil fuels in the North Sea in plans to bolster UK energy independence and security.

The strategy – released on Thursday afternoon – pledges to boost production across a host of energy sources in the UK, including wind, solar, nuclear and hydrogen.

It also vows to give North Sea oil and gas fields a “new lease of life”.

Ahead of its full release, the government faced criticism for failing to slash energy demand in the first place, as well as household bills in the immediate term.

Kwasi Kwarteng, the UK business secretary, admitted it would do little to alleviate soaring fuels bills now, saying the strategy was more a “three-, four- or five-year answer”.

The strategy aims to bolster domestic energy security as rising international gas prices send UK household bills soaring, while the country is moving away from Russian fuel in light of the invasion of Ukraine.

Key Points

• PM promises clean energy and fossil fuel drilling in energy strategy
• Energy security strategy released in full
• Nuclear power at heart of energy security strategy
• Minister admits strategy won’t fix cost-of-living crisis now
• Plans will do nothing for bills or climate crisis, Labour says

[7 April 2022 08:53 · Zoe Tidman]

Good morning and welcome to our coverage of the UK’s long-awaited energy security strategy plan.

[7 April 2022 08:57 · Zoe Tidman]

What will be at the heart of the new energy strategy?

A revival of nuclear power and a drive to exploit hydrogen will be unveiled in a controversial new energy strategy – but calls to end the block on onshore wind turbines will be rejected.

Boris Johnson will argue the long-delayed plan will reduce the UK’s vulnerability to “volatile international prices”, following Russia’s assault on Ukraine.

Rob Merrick, our deputy political editor, has the full story of what the energy security strategy will include:

[7 April 2022 09:19 · Zoe Tidman]

What else can we expect from today?

The government has already teased the main headlines of the energy strategy security plan, which is set to be unveiled in full today.

It will also include plans on:

• Boosting offshore wind capacity
• New North Sea oil and gas projects
• Investments for heat pumps to be made in UK
• Plans to increase domestic solar capacity

[7 April 2022 09:26 · Zoe Tidman]

PM says plan is about making British energy ‘cleaner, more affordable and more secure'

Boris Johnson has said the plan aims to make British energy “cleaner, more affordable and more secure”.

He said it comes in response to rising energy prices across the world - and which have soared since the invasion of Ukraine.

See here:

[7 April 2022 09:27 · Zoe Tidman]

Minister admits strategy won’t fix cost-of-living crisis now

However, Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, has admitted the energy security strategy will do little to help alleviate soaring fuel bills now.

”You are right to say that the strategy is more of a medium term, three, four or five-year answer, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t address this,” he told Sky News.

“It’s really important that we get an energy strategy, an energy policy, that means we can have more security and independence in the year ahead.”

PA

[7 April 2022 09:45 · Zoe Tidman]

Strategy criticised for failing to tackle bills rising now

The plan is coming under fire on the question of household bills - which were sent soaring just the other day when the price cap went up.

Ed Miliband, shadow secretary of state for climate change and net zero, said: “This relaunch will do nothing for the millions of families now facing an energy bills crisis.

“No reversal of the ban on onshore wind and not a penny more on energy efficiency. These decisions will force households to pay hundreds of pounds more for their energy bills and keep the UK dependent on imported gas for longer.”

Meanwhile, the former head of energy watchdog Ofgem said this morning most of the decisions - which include boosting nuclear capacity - will “take a long time to have an impact”.

Dermot Nolan told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ““One failure, that could’ve helped in the short to medium run, is a lack of focus on energy efficiency, on insulation, on improving the quality of people’s homes - I think that is an opportunity missed.”

[7 April 2022 10:00 · Zoe Tidman]

Main takeaways

Here is the government on what it considers the key takeaways from the strategy:

[7 April 2022 10:30 · Zoe Tidman]

Absence of ‘climate’ in press release

A energy journalist at Bloomberg has raised this point:

You can check the release yourself here:

[7 April 2022 10:56 · Zoe Tidman]

Government ‘overlooking blatant solution’ - Lib Dems

Wera Hobhouse, the Liberal Democrats spokesperson for energy, says:

“The government has overlooked the blatant solution. Investing in renewables alongside an energy efficiency programme would take money off people’s bills and enhance the UK’s energy independence.

“Instead, the Conservative’s are slapping extra onto people’s bills to fund nuclear that will not have an impact for years to come.”

[7 April 2022 11:09 · Zoe Tidman]

Kwarteng admits impact may make several years

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has admitted the impact of the government’s long-awaited energy strategy on consumers’ soaring bills may take “two or three years”.

Ashley Cowburn, our politicial correspondent, reports: