PRESS RELEASE : UK to host new London Energy Security Conference to rewire global energy resilience [August 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 10 August 2023.

The UK will host a new global energy security conference.

The UK will host a new global energy security conference next year, bringing together countries from around the world to shore up critical energy supplies and make the system more resilient to shocks.

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps will invite senior government ministers and industry bosses to the landmark London Energy Security Conference, around the time of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine, and other historic shocks such as the oil crisis of the 1970s, show how interconnected global energy security and critical supply chains are, with the impacts hurting consumers the world over. To prevent this happening again, the UK is convening this new conference to enhance international cooperation and build global resilience against these shocks.

The conference will take place in the Spring and focus on:

• building energy resilience nationally and internationally
• speeding up the deployment of clean and resilient energy infrastructure
• advancing technologies and innovation to promote greater energy independence
• cooperating internationally to boost energy security around the world
• helping provide consumers and businesses with cheaper, more secure energy

The London Energy Conference follows a significant programme of international engagement by the Energy Security Secretary. In recent months, Grant Shapps has agreed greater collaboration on visits to the United States, Japan, South Korea, India, France and the North Sea Summit in Belgium. These have been on top of holding key talks with global leaders including at the COP27 negotiations at Sharm El-Sheikh, the G7 Energy and Climate Ministers Meeting in Sapporo, the G20 Energy talks in Goa and the UK’s recent leadership in hosting the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London.

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said:

As history has shown, including more recently with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, global energy security and supply is interconnected. Shockwaves quickly travel around the world and hurt consumers and businesses by sending global prices soaring.

We acted swiftly to protect the British public, providing unprecedented energy bills support, cutting off all Russian gas supplies and setting out our blueprint for boosting homegrown energy production to power up Britain.

But energy security does not stop at our borders – our landmark London Energy Security Conference will bring together international governments and industry leaders to help rewire the global energy system and build collective resilience.

Next year’s London Energy Security Conference will build on the UK’s existing work to boost domestic energy security – with the UK’s decarbonisation leadership to reach net zero by diversifying its energy mix also bringing benefits for global energy security as well. The government has set out plans to power up Britain, by scaling up the deployment of cheap renewables and boosting our homegrown supply of nuclear, while also maximising North Sea production.

Recent steps taken include:

• the Prime Minister confirming hundreds of new oil and gas licences will be granted in the UK, with the government continuing to back the North Sea oil and gas industry
• the revival of nuclear in the UK, including launching Great British Nuclear to drive the rapid expansion of new nuclear power plants in the UK at an unprecedented scale and pace
• a £22 million increase in government backing for renewables through the government’s flagship renewables scheme
• earlier this year, the government published the Powering Up Britain package, building on the British Energy Security Strategy, demonstrating how the government plans to secure our energy system by ensuring a resilient and reliable supply, increasing our energy efficiency, and bringing bills down

This has come alongside the UK working together with allies across Europe, G7 countries, and across the world to accelerate the global transition to clean, reliable sources of power and energy efficiency – both to improve energy security and tackle climate change.

The UK is also well-placed to bring the international community together on energy, building on world-leading achievements in delivering cleaner, cheaper renewable technologies.

This includes being the first major economy to legislate for net zero, and between 1990 and 2021, cutting emissions by 48% while growing the economy by 65% – decarbonising faster than any other G7 country.

The UK has increased the amount of energy coming from renewables from 6.7% in 2010 to 41.5% in 2022, is home to 4 largest offshore wind farms in the world and last year, saw the biggest increase ever in the installation of offshore wind capacity.