The United Kingdom will reinforce the production of hydrocarbons in the North Sea

The United Kingdom is committed to reinforcing oil and gas production at its plants in the North Sea to replace Russian hydrocarbons by the end of the year, in addition to seeking alternative sources of imports, said the Minister for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Kwasi Kwarteng.

“The UK is a significant producer of crude oil and petroleum products, we participate in the global market for these products and we have sufficient resources to deal with the unlikely scenario of a supply disruption,” he told the House of Commons.

Although the British government’s long-term strategy is to promote renewable energy and nuclear power, “stopping domestic production (of hydrocarbons) at this time, as some are defending, would be totally wrong and we are not going to do it,” he said.

The British Executive announced on Wednesday that it will gradually reduce imports of Russian oil during this year, until completely vetoing them within nine months.

In this transition period, the industry will look for alternative sources to cover the 8% of the demand that Russia’s crude represents for now.

“We are going to end, and must end, our dependence on all Russian hydrocarbons. As we do so, we need more investment in North Sea oil and gas, while moving towards cheaper and cleaner energy,” said the head of Business and Energy.

The Executive considers that the nine months of margin that it has granted to energy companies are “more than enough to replace Russian imports” and urges companies to “ensure a transition as smooth as possible so that consumers are not affected ”.

Opposition Labor Climate Change spokesman Ed Miliband asked Kwarteng if there are plans to lift the moratorium on fracking in England.

The minister stressed that he is in favor of “exploring all possible technologies that can support our resistance.”

“Our position has not changed since the moratorium (in 2019) and has always been the same. If it can be done in a safe and sustainable way, the Government is open to the idea of ​​’fracking’,” she stressed.

Miliband highlighted for his part that the Labor opposition supports the veto on Russian imports: “We know that the war machine of (Russian President, Vladimir) Putin is financed with oil and gas, that is why it is correct that all countries do everything possible to isolate the regime,” he said.

He also considered that the United Kingdom “must accelerate the development of zero-emission energy generation, including renewable and nuclear, which can free us from autocrats and dictators capable of using fossil fuels as a geopolitical weapon.”