British Energy: Independence and Decreasing Of Reliance In A Globalized World Society

Sizewell Nuclear Power Station, Suffolk County, United Kingdom

Credit: Geograph Britain and Ireland

  Great Britain wants to move away from the globalization of energy. While they were beginning to work towards more energy independence, including moving towards renewable energy to decrease global emissions, the war brought a spotlight to the issue. This brought up the issue of oil reliance on other nations. Before the Russian-Ukrainian war began and the resulting sanctions, Russia was the third-highest oil exporter to the UK. Following trade sanctions, the need for other sources of energy became essential to the nation's plans. 

Before 2004, the UK was primarily a net energy exporter due to North Sea oil production. Production declined due to decreasing resources, high consumption, and an increase in coal imports. In total, Russia imported primarily to China, but also a lot to EU countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland. While not one of the highest importers of oil from Russia, the British government did have to consider their energy independence, primarily as they had a Conservative government, led by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Two months following the beginning of the war, Johnson released the British Energy Security Strategy, outlining a ten-point plan on energy independence, investments, and job creation. 

Currently, Prime Minister Keir Starmer seems to be continuing with the movement towards energy independence, recently putting out a press release regarding the partnership between Great British Energy and The Crown Estate, the UK’s property management company, backed by over eight billion pounds in investment from Parliament and announcing the CEO of Siemens UK as Chair of Great British Energy. The goal seems to focus on renewable energy sources such as offshore wind, researching more on hydrogen power, and furthering nuclear power within the country. This also results in a decrease in citizens’ energy bills and the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs. While the end goal is to reach net zero quickly, the issuance of 31 new oil and gas licenses to operators in the previous administration creates an impression of indecision in the UK’s energy policy. Following the release of the permits on May 3, 2024, the entity Offshore Energy UK, formerly Oil and Gas UK, which is the “leading representative body for the UK offshore energy industry,” issued a press release applauding the actions of the government, largely backing the release of permits on how it protects the current job sectors and saying that during the switch from nonrenewable resources to renewable energy, domestic stable energy through gas is necessary. On August 22, 2024, Oceana UK, whose vision is the “UK seas protected and restored to healthy abundance, with ocean life thriving alongside communities.” moved forward with legal action arguing that the government went ahead with the release of licenses, while unlawfully failing to consider the impact on marine life. 

According to the Carbon Brief, with an analysis published in August 2024, 13 proposed new oil and gas projects could produce enough barrels of oil to emit 350 metric tons of CO2, which would equal 111 of the world’s lowest emitting countries. The actual drilling also causes environmental disruptions, such as oceanic noise affecting species, like whales, that use sound for multiple purposes, which become deafened by exploratory drilling. This also affects the surrounding habitat, in this case, the seafloor, general navigation, and a wide range of species habitats – reefs. While they deliberate this in court and the switch from a conservative regime to the current Labour leadership, the timeline towards net zero by 2050 will be seen in how the nation sticks to its progress and plans. 

The work the country requires to achieve energy independence, lessening the imports of energy and solely relying on the energy created within the nation, creates a large number of jobs and keeps the money within the country. The money circulates within the country through the increasing of government spending, to purchase input resources as well as the cost of labor, and energy dissemination across the country.

Energy independence requires renewable energy technological innovation. Regardless of the resources a country has to sustain nonrenewable energy sources like oil drilling and coal mining, renewable energy sources like wind and other resources allow for self-sufficiency. These renewable sources allow for energy production without the concern of exhausting resources. The move to renewable energy not only helps achieve independence but also in regards to meeting the UN climate goals. The process of achieving energy independence helps to decrease carbon emissions drastically, moving towards less reliance on fossil fuels. In turn, this furthers the work towards the emission goals outlined by the Paris Climate Agreement, which is to decrease the global emission rate by 43%. The movement to renewable energy promotes innovation of technology to maximize the efficiency of energy production, from sharing knowledge with the rest of the world to increasing the amount of energy produced. 

The importance of national energy independence surrounds multiple issues from the economy to climate change to security. From looking at the war between Russia and Ukraine, the turning off of the Nord Stream Pipeline caused people’s domestic energy bills to double. These issues can inhibit economic growth, trigger job losses, and prevent a country from operating properly, which affects manufacturing and financial capabilities. Therefore, when considering energy security, a nation wouldn’t want to be beholden to the actions of another country or international events to cause economic turmoil within their sovereign nation. 

The UK’s push for energy independence is crucial for both strategic reasons and tackling important economic and environmental issues. The energy supply disruptions from Russia after the invasion of Ukraine have shown how risky it is to depend on foreign energy. Shifting to renewable energy not only helps create jobs but also promotes financial stability and security for the country. This shift aims to reduce carbon emissions and work towards meeting the climate targets, but also positions the UK as a leader in renewable energy solutions, enhancing its moral standing on the global stage. By sharing technology with other nations, the UK can help offset the climate damages incurred during their industrial eras, providing the nation a place in the international community when discussing global climate change. Investment in renewable energy enhances national security and resilience in an increasingly interconnected world.