As the North Sea’s oil and gas output declines, the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) calls on the next government to support renewable energy to prevent reliance on foreign energy imports over the next five years.

The UK climate think tank has published a new report – Future energy security – that finds that the rise in British renewables will play a much larger role in bolstering the UK’s energy security than potential new domestic oil and gas production.

The UK’s energy mix is currently dominated by oil and gas, and the decline in North Sea oil and gas production since the turn of the century has caused imports to rise.

According to the report, in 2024 around 66% of the end-use energy used by consumers requires imported energy. This includes imported gas and oil-based fuels that are used directly, plus the share of electricity produced from imported fuels such as gas and biomass.

The North Sea Transition Authority projects that UK gas production will fall by 55% by 2030, and...