Britain must keep drilling for gas in the North Sea for “reasons of energy security”, the energy minister has said, as the Ukraine crisis fuels fears over Russian supplies to Europe.
Greg Hands said that domestic production gave Britain an advantage compared with European neighbours that relied on Russia for a “huge part” of their gas. It was “important for us not to be increasing our gas imports” at “a time of energy security concerns”, he said.
In an interview with The Times, Hands also vowed that the energy price cap was “here to stay”, despite calls from some suppliers to scrap the policy.
The energy minister also:
•Backed the introduction of “time-of-use” electricity tariffs
•Suggested that a £200 loan scheme to ease energy
