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.

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.

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.”

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 programme to reach net-zero by diversifying its energy mix also bringing benefits for global energy security as well. At the moment, the UK is on course to expand oil and gas production as an interim measure coupled to carbon capture, revive nuclear power and dramatically increase funding of renewables.

The UK was the first major economy to legislate for net-zero, and between 1990 and 2021, cut emissions by 48 per cent while growing the economy by 65 per cent - decarbonising faster than any other G7 country. The UK has also increased the amount of energy coming from renewables from 6.7 per cent in 2010 to 41.5 per cent in 2022, and is home to four of the largest offshore wind farms in the world, last year seeing the biggest increase ever in the installation of offshore wind capacity.

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