Energy resilience

Status / emerging findings

• UK gas storage critically low at under 1 bcm vs. Europe's 105 bcm, leaving only days of reserves despite multiple supply sources offsetting this vulnerability
• Jackdaw gas field approval before winter 2026 could supply 60% of UK gas demand and maintain flat production to 2030; doubling North Sea output to 7 billion barrels could cut LNG import reliance from 50% to under 10% by 2035
• UK electricity storage (7 GW battery capacity, rising to 10 GW) outperforming European peers, but £40 billion consumer savings possible by 2050 with greater investment
• Energy infrastructure cyber and physical security reporting systems inadequate; distributed simultaneous attacks on multiple assets pose greater systemic risk than single-asset failures

Why it matters

The UK's energy security depends on decisions about North Sea production and infrastructure hardening happening now; a geopolitical crisis or coordinated attack could expose severe gaps in gas reserves and cyber defences.

Tone arc

Professional and collaborative throughout three sessions. No evidence of tension or shifting stance—witnesses and MPs aligned on identifying storage gaps and security vulnerabilities as core resilience challenges.

Key witnesses

Dan Marks (RUSI), Ana Musat (RenewableUK), David Whitehouse (Offshore Energies UK), Alex Grant, Gordon Balmer, Alan Gelder, Elizabeth de Jong, Jonathan Mills CB