Transport Minister Grand Saps said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a “mass wake-up call” for Western nations about their dependence on imported oil and gas, from which European countries are now trying to wean themselves. However, Shapps said the United Kingdom would not follow in the footsteps of other countries, such as Germany, which have imposed emergency gas rationing measures if Russia cut off supplies to Europe. An international dispute is escalating over Russia’s demand that, from April 1, all natural gas purchased from foreign countries must be paid for in rubles – a move the G7 has rejected. According to Reuters, the Dutch government said it would urge consumers to use less gas, Greece has convened an emergency meeting of suppliers and the French energy regulator urged consumers not to panic. Labor Party Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow business secretary, said the fuel bill “should be an extreme choice”. “We have to make these plans and the government has to prepare – not necessarily publicly – for this situation,” he told the BBC’s Sunday Morning show. After Prime Minister Boris Johnson flew to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to urge oil-producing countries in the Middle East to turn on the taps, Reynolds said the government should not “shop from one authoritarian regime to another for fossil fuels. “. He called for the publication of the long-delayed energy security strategy with particular emphasis on producing more renewable and nuclear energy, as well as improving energy efficiency. Reynolds also said there was “a lot of complacency in this country about the relatively lower exposure to Russian gas we have”, warning that if European countries stopped importing it, they would turn to the same providers used by the UK, squeezing further supplies and keeping prices high. However, when asked if he could completely rule out the energy bulletin in the UK, Shapps said: “Yes, I can… We do not see the battery as part of our approach to it, nor should it be.” On the contrary, Shapps raised the prospect of producing more offshore wind, although he seemed to be abandoning plans to double the amount of onshore wind by 2030. The Guardian reported last month that ministers were considering drastically increasing the amount of energy generated by onshore wind turbines from 14 gigawatts by the end of the decade to 30. Johnson was heading for a showdown with his own cabinet and his supporters, but Saps’ public disapproval would be interpreted as a sign that the government was preparing to step down. Shapps said “there may be places where it is suitable”, but that he thought “in general, I think it is better to build significant offshore wind energy”. Earlier, he told Sky News on Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “I do not favor a huge increase in onshore wind farms for obvious reasons. “They sit on the hills there and can create something like a look for the communities, as well as real noise problems.” Instead, Shapps said he preferred nuclear modular reactors. This is followed by the Secretary of Operations, Kwasi Kwarteng, who tells the Sunday Telegraph that up to seven nuclear power plants could be built in Britain to radically expand domestic energy. The newspaper added that the energy security strategy will be published on Thursday.
