THERE will be no rationing of energy in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK government has said.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said he could “completely” rule out limiting how much oil and gas people are allowed to buy.
Earlier this week, after Russia insisted that buyers of its natural gas pay in roubles rather than euros or dollars, Germany and Austria took the first formal steps towards rationing.
The government in Berlin has said priority will be given to households, hospitals and other critical institutions,
Meanwhile, the Dutch government said it would urge consumers to use less gas, wile Greece has called an emergency meeting of suppliers.
Asked on BBC One’s Sunday Morning programme if it is a “good idea” for the UK to look into energy rationing, as Germany has done, Mr Shapps said: “No, I don’t.”
Pressed on whether he can “completely” rule out such a move in the UK, the Transport Secretary added: “Yes, I can. It’s not the route that we want to go down.”
Earlier on the same programme, Labour’s shadow business and energy secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the government “should be making those plans and the Government should be preparing, not necessarily in public, for that situation.”
He added: “There’s a lot of complacency in this country about the relative lower exposure to Russian gas that we have.
“But we should bear in mind that part of the supply that comes to this country from, for instance, Norway or from the liquefied natural gas that goes into the terminals and wells, that is partly because Russian gas is fulfilling the demands of central Europe.
“I think what the Government should announce is a plan which is not simply shopping from one authoritarian regime to the next for fossil fuels, but that long-term plan on renewables or nuclear and energy efficiency that would make the difference.”
However, the Labour man’s position later changed. He told Times Radio an hour later that rationing “would be a disaster for households and for businesses.”
He added: “But the fact you’re even asking the question is an indictment of Conservative energy policy for the last decade.
“We still haven’t had a plan from the Government, even though they said it was to them a priority and an emergency.”
On LBC minutes later, he clarified that Labour believes “a successful plan would absolutely mean we did not have to consider” rationing energy.
Later this week the government will publish their much delayed energy strategy, but there are reports of conflicts within cabinet over plans for a large expansion of onshore wind.
Asked if planning laws should be relaxed to allow for more onshore wind, Mr Shapp’s told Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: “I don't favour a vast increase in onshore wind farms, for pretty obvious reasons - they sit on the hills there and can create something of an eyesore for communities as well as actual problems of noise as well.
“So I think for reasons of environmental protection, the way to go with this is largely, not entirely, but largely off-sea.”
The Sunday Telegraph reported that Boris Johnson is preparing to announce plans to expand the Government's commitment to move forward with new large-scale nuclear power stations this decade.
The newspaper said the plan had been to back one by 2024, but it is thought the new ambition will be to support the construction of two by 2030.
The move to scale up nuclear power production will reportedly form part of a major expansion of homegrown energy in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.
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