Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-09-22-Speech-1-102"
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"en.20030922.6.1-102"2
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"Madam President, much has been said tonight, and it is difficult to add anything refreshingly new. However, I believe that this debate on energy security has never been so important. We need only look at the recent power cuts on the east coast of America to see how an energy crisis impacts on ordinary people - no power, no lights in family homes, no refrigeration, millions of dollars lost by small businesses. This incident was merely the result of a technical or human error that was rectified very quickly, but it has been a much needed wake-up call to those of us who too often take our energy supply for granted.
Recently the Institution of Civil Engineers said that the UK could face power cuts in 20 years' time because of its dependency on foreign energy sources. It has also estimated that in the UK alone – even given centres of excellence around the North Sea such as the European energy capital of Aberdeen – 80% of the gas needed to fuel British power stations will come from distant and politically unstable countries.
Although Member States certainly have responsibilities for securing their own energy supplies, the need for cooperation early in a crisis situation will be vital. However, judging by the debate this evening, opinion is certainly divided. Safeguarding supply is paramount, but how do we reassure the public that we have security of supply?
Much has been achieved in the energy agenda in the EU, and liberalisation, at any rate in the UK, has allowed for consumers to have choice and hence cheaper gas and electricity, but, as Mr Linkohr has suggested, if gas prices increase in the near future, consumers will be very unhappy.
New threats from terrorism and sabotage – as we have seen in Iraq – and our increasing dependence on energy from outside the EU pose huge challenges. As Mr Mitchell, from the UK's Royal Institute of International Affairs has stated, the key to energy security lies in diversity of supply."@en1
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