When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, the UK government immediately thought in high-flown terms of foreign policy. What it didn’t mention is a problem much closer to home. What does all this mean for energy policy, Net Zero and the government’s determination to phase out the production and use of fossil fuels?
Until now, the government has successfully ridden two horses on the subject of energy. It has merrily appeased the green lobby with promises to ditch fossil fuels and end their production domestically. And yet it knows perfectly well that when push comes to shove, it can’t make good on these promises. The replacement energy source just isn’t there. Nuclear might have worked, but successive governments have run it down – nearly half of the UK’s current capacity is due to be retired by 2025. And wind, solar and so on help, but they are expensive, unreliable and take up lots of valuable land.
