The UK is on track
to meet the challenge of securing energy supplies both
internationally and domestically, a new report commissioned by the
Prime Minister Gordon Brown concluded today.
The UK is on track to meet the challenge of securing energy
supplies both internationally and domestically, a new report
commissioned by the Prime Minister Gordon Brown concluded today.
The report - ‘Energy Security: a national challenge in a changing
world’ report - by the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on
International Energy, Rt. Hon. Malcolm Wicks MP complements the
actions set out in the recently published UK Low Carbon Transition
Plan. It finds that many of the actions being taken to reduce
climate risk also need to be sustained to tackle energy security.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown welcomed the report and said:
"We are already taking a number of responsible
far-sighted steps to put the UK on a secure, low carbon,
affordable energy footing in the long-term and I am grateful for
the work undertaken by Malcolm Wicks. The ability to maximise
domestic energy reserves and establish home grown energy sources
is vital alongside the UK’s ability to pull on every lever
internationally in support of energy security."
Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Ed Miliband, added:
“We cannot afford to be complacent about the challenges we face
in securing our energy supplies, and I’m grateful for the rigor of
Malcolm’s analysis on these issues. We’ll continue to use fossil
fuels in the near term as part of our transition to the low carbon
economy and maximise our own North Sea reserves, as well as do all
we can to secure the most diverse range of energy imports.”
The Government will consider carefully the report’s
recommendations and publish a formal response in due course.
Notes to Editors
1. Malcolm Wicks is the MP for Croydon North. Between 2005-6 and
2007-8 he was Minister of State for Energy in the UK Government,
serving as Science Minister in the interim. In October 2008 he was
appointed by the Prime Minister as his Special Representative on
International Energy Issues.
2. Wicks’ Review can be found at http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/change_energy/int_energy/security/security.aspx
3. The UK’s Low Carbon Transition Plan can be viewed in the
publications section of the DECC website
Contacts:
Department of Energy and Climate Change
nds.decc@coi.gsi.gov.uk