Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband has urged a “hard-headed approach” to clean energy as the key to national and global energy security, during the opening speech at the two-day London Energy Security Summit, co-hosted by the UK government and the International Energy Agency (IEA).
“In an unstable and uncertain world, there can be no national security or international security without energy security,” Miliband said.
He warned that energy continues to be weaponised by hostile regimes and stressed the need for countries to secure uninterrupted and affordable energy supplies.
“As long as energy can be weaponised against us, our countries and our citizens are vulnerable and exposed,” he added. “Energy security is also at the heart of economic security, central to living standards, job creation, and economic growth.”
Miliband read a personal message from King Charles, who called for “shared learning between nations,” particularly in the Global South and Commonwealth, to support clean power development:
“When well-managed, the transition to more sustainable energy sources can itself lead to more resilient and secure energy systems,” the King stated. “There are many shared challenges and opportunities on which we can work together as partners.”
The summit comes against a backdrop of rising global energy prices, fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and tariff measures from former US President Trump.
As a response, the UK and Europe are working to reduce their reliance on imported fossil fuels, with the EU set to unveil a new strategy for phasing out Russian oil and gas by 2027.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are among high-profile attendees expected at the London event.
While acknowledging the continued role of oil and gas, Miliband reinforced that low carbon energy represents the long-term solution for security and affordability:
“As with many other countries, we are a price taker, not a price maker in international fossil fuel markets,” he said.
“Our vision of low carbon power goes well beyond the climate imperative. Solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, and nuclear are unlimited, low-cost power supplies we can exploit for the benefit of our citizens.”
The UK recently pulled forward £300m of GB Energy funding ahead of the summer Comprehensive Spending Review, focused on accelerating offshore wind deployment.
The funding will support investment in:
GB Energy is the UK’s new publicly owned energy company, and this move is intended to position the UK as a leader in offshore wind.
Miliband concluded with a call for multilateral collaboration in the face of shared challenges:
“Whatever our national pathways, I do believe that we share a fundamental belief that shared challenges invite shared solutions. Multilateral cooperation can make us stronger, not weaker, in our own individual national interest.”
This message aligns with developments elsewhere—just a day earlier, the UN and Brazil hosted a virtual climate meeting where China’s President Xi Jinping committed to publishing a new national climate plan before year’s end.