Speaking alongside U.S. President Donald Trump at an international press conference in Scotland on Monday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer outlined that oil and gas will remain a part of the UK’s energy mix “for a very long time”.
“We believe in a mix,” an Associated Press (AP) video of the conference hosted on AP’s YouTube site showed Starmer saying.
“And obviously oil and gas is going to be with us for a very long time, and that’ll be part of the mix, but also wind, solar, increasingly nuclear,” he added in the video.
“The most important thing for the United Kingdom is that we have control of our energy and we have energy independence and security, because at the moment, whatever the attributes and facilities in the North Sea that is sold onto the international market, we buy it back off the international market. That was a historic mistake, in my view,” he continued.
“But what we need is a mix so that we get the energy security that we need for the future, and that’s the focus of everything we’re doing,” Starmer went on to state.
In a statement sent to Rigzone following the conference, David Whitehouse, the Chief Executive of industry body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), said, “it is good to hear this clear recognition from the Prime Minister that the UK will need a diverse energy mix and that oil and gas remain essential to the UK’s energy future”.
“We’ve long said that this is not a choice between renewables or oil and gas – we need both,” he added.
“We were pleased to set this out in our open letter to the Prime Minister ahead of … [Monday’s] meeting with President Trump. The UK must not increase its reliance on imported energy,” he continued.
OEUK highlighted in its statement that Whitehouse wrote to Starmer on Friday ahead of Trump’s visit asking him to back homegrown energy and agree that it is best for UK jobs, growth, industry, and net zero.
“If we are going to use oil and gas, let’s produce it here – responsibly, with lower emissions, and with all the benefits to jobs, taxes and growth that come from homegrown supply,” Whitehouse said in the OEUK statement.
“Words matter and … [Monday’s] words from the Prime Minster were very welcome. What matters even more is action. We now need to see that recognition translate into decisions that back the UK’s offshore energy sector, support jobs, and secure investment in oil, gas, wind, hydrogen and carbon capture,” he added.
“The best way to influence prices and take control of our energy future is to back homegrown energy – including oil and gas – alongside the acceleration of renewables,” he continued.
“The UK still gets three-quarters of its energy from oil and gas, and domestic production meets only half of that demand. Without action, import dependency will rise sharply,” Whitehouse went on to state.
Rigzone contacted the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) for comment on OEUK’s statement. A DESNZ spokesperson told Rigzone DESNZ had nothing further to add to what the Prime Minister said yesterday.
A release posted on the UK government website on Sunday said Starmer would travel to Scotland to meet Trump for talks. The release added that the leaders would travel on together for a further private engagement in Aberdeen. A video posted on the White House website on Monday highlighted Trump’s “Historic Scotland visit”.
OEUK describes itself on its website as the leading representative body for the UK offshore energy industry. It notes on its site that it is a not for profit membership organization “with a history stretching back five decades”.
To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com
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