UK energy secretary Ed Miliband (left) with UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer (centre) and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar at the St. Fergus Gas Terminal
Can the UK take its foot off the gas?
While the government might complain about the vicissitudes of the international gas market, the UK's transition away from the fuel is fraught with challenges
UK energy secretary Ed Miliband often decries the fact that the country’s dependence on imported oil and gas has left it in the grip of “dictators and petrostates”. It is true the country has learned a hard lesson about the dynamics of the global gas market in the recent energy crisis. The dominant narrative from the UK government and energy regulator Ofgem is that the only way to improve the UK’s energy security is to accelerate the energy transition. 36.5% – Gas’ share of UK inland energy consumption in 2023 Ofgem CEO Jonathan Brearley recently stated that “our reliance on international gas markets leads to volatile wholesale prices and continues to drive up bills, which is why it
Also in this section
17 February 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 26–30 April 2026, will bring together leaders from the political, industrial, financial and technology sectors under the unifying theme “Pathways to an Energy Future for All”
17 February 2026
Siemens Energy has been active in the Kingdom for nearly a century, evolving over that time from a project-based foreign supplier to a locally operating multi-national company with its own domestic supply chain and workforce
17 February 2026
Eni’s chief operating officer for global natural resources, Guido Brusco, takes stock of the company’s key achievements over the past year, and what differentiates its strategy from those of its peers in the LNG sector and beyond
16 February 2026
As the third wave of global LNG arrives, Wood Mackenzie’s director for Europe gas and LNG, Tom Marzec-Manser, discusses with Petroleum Economist the outlook for Europe’s gas market in 2026
