Putin’s gas blackmail of the West has failed

An energy pact with our closest ally America, as well as bolstering UK sources, supplies and security, is key to defeating the despots

America’s dependence on foreign oil is a “clear and present danger” to the nation’s security. Those were the words of Jimmy Carter in 1980 after revolution in Iran more than 7,000 miles away had sent prices skyrocketing, leading to eye-watering double-digit inflation.

The then president declared that the need to end reliance on foreign energy had “never been more urgent”. Fast forward 40 years and countries around the world have once again experienced an economic shock from a spike in energy prices caused by conflict abroad.

This time it was Putin to blame with his despicable invasion of Ukraine and use of Russia’s gas supplies as a weapon of war.

In the UK, we moved decisively to end all imports of Russian gas, with the Government covering half a typical household’s energy bills over the winter.

But the clear and present threat to the security of our nation – and that of our friends and allies – was clear. Gangsters like Putin must never again be allowed to hold the world hostage. We are fighting back, and we are winning. By bolstering our own energy independence, we are neutralising Putin’s blackmail.

But greater energy independence does not involve severing our links with the rest of the world – it involves working more closely with our international allies. And that is why I am in the United States this week, first Washington DC and then California, to forge closer energy links with our closest and most important friend.

With our shared history, our transatlantic partnership is strong – as demonstrated by our being the first and second largest supporters of Ukraine. But there’s more we can be doing together to extend our unique relationship on energy security. This includes working together on state-of-the-art technologies and creating the conditions for renewable businesses to thrive.

Few places understand the importance of innovation for developing new energy sources better than the US. It was the American businessman Edwin L Drake who spawned the global oil industry when he became the first person to successfully drill for the “black gold” in Pennsylvania in 1859.

Less than a quarter of a century later, Boston-born Charles Fritts harnessed the power of the sun when he invented the world’s first solar panel. And it was at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois where the world’s first usable amount of electricity was produced from nuclear energy in 1951. In the UK, we too understand how ingenuity and expertise is vital for our energy security. We are home to the world’s largest offshore wind farm. And the second, third and fourth. We have the potential to store up to 78bn tonnes of carbon dioxide underneath the UK’S oceans – equivalent to the weight of 15bn elephants. And we are reviving nuclear power so it can generate up to a quarter of our electricity.

I will be setting out this vision to turbocharge the UK nuclear industry when I address America’s largest civil nuclear conference in DC later today. The revival is already under way, and we have established Great British Nuclear to oversee this rapid expansion.

One of the organisation’s first jobs is to hunt for the latest technologies, particularly small modular reactors, which hold the key to creating a new network of nuclear power stations produced at a fraction of the typical costs.

From Rolls-royce to Bill Gates, there are exciting developments taking place on both sides of the Atlantic, and I will be encouraging US companies to collaborate and invest in the UK’S cutting-edge work on nuclear.

This will build on the progress we have already made transforming our energy supply. Just 10 years ago, about 40pc of our electricity came from coal. But this year, that figure is virtually zero.

President Carter recognised the need for home-grown energy to help counter the threat that dependence on hostile foreign states for energy posed to national security.

He famously installed solar panels on the White House roof and created the US Department of Energy (DOE) in 1977 to encourage the development of alternative energy sources.

We may be decades later to the game, but it is therefore fitting that as my own Department of Energy Security and Net Zero marks its 100th day today, so I will be joining Jennifer Granholm, US secretary of energy, at the DOE as we look to strengthen the energy links between our two great countries.

If we are to successfully drive down household bills, reduce our reliance on foreign fossil fuels and bolster our energy security, we must work closely with like-minded partners. That’s the message I’ll be taking to our closest ally, the US – and that is how we will power-up Britain from Britain to safeguard our country and assign Putin and other despots to the dustbin of history.

‘We have the world’s largest offshore wind farm. And the second’