Future of Natural Gas in the UK

Documents to download

In 2014, the UK imported 45% of its gas.
The Government plans to boost UK natural gas production to prevent or minimise falls in gas-related jobs, tax and investment.
To stay within globally agreed climate change limits some existing gas reserves will likely need to go unused. This raises questions about new UK gas exploration.
Burning natural gas produces lower greenhouse gas emissions than burning coal or oil. Switching to gas can help to meet short-term emission targets for power generation, heating and transport.
However, installing too many new gas-using units may create barriers to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the long term.
Most long-term gas use depends on the use of carbon capture and storage or biogas.

Energy consumption of ICT

Information and Communication Technology (ICT), including data centres, communication networks and user devices, accounted for an estimated 4-6% of global electricity use in 2020. Increasing demand for ICT is expected to lead to an increase in global ICT energy use over the next decade. Experts have highlighted ongoing improvements in the energy efficiency of the technology. However, there is limited evidence on the energy use of ICT, and a significant degree of uncertainty in existing estimates. This POSTnote summarises estimates of the energy used across the ICT sector and trends that may affect it. It discusses developments in energy efficiency and issues related to energy reporting and standards.
- Digital tech
- Energy
Energy security

Energy security concerns have risen over the last year. This has been brought about by high international gas and electricity prices, and the possibility of gas shortages during winter 2022, driven largely as a consequence of Russia’s war in Ukraine. This POSTnote examines the risks to the UK’s energy security, current practices for ensuring energy security, and measures that might be taken to enhance energy security as the UK transitions towards a net zero economy.
- Education
- Energy
Approved work: Nuclear energy in the UK

This POSTnote will consider the current plans for building new nuclear plant in the UK and the potential of delivering the Government's ambitions in this sector.
- Energy