The Adam Smith Institute – a Right-wing think-tank – urged the Government to pursue a range of policies to improve energy security.
This includes expanding nuclear power to replace imported gas and electricity, ramping up production in the North Sea and halting construction of new wind and solar plants.
It comes as the UK energy industry awaits a decision from Andy Burnham on the Jackdaw and Rosebank gas and oil fields, which could significantly increase domestic production.
Nick Rosen, an electricity expert, said Ukraine had strengthened its energy security during the war by replacing a few large, centralised power stations with many smaller ones that were harder to disrupt.
He said: “In response to relentless bombing of their major infrastructure, Ukraine was forced into a rapid transition to micropower and decentralised generation.
“Their amazing resilience is a clear demonstration that distributed, local energy networks are inherently more secure and harder to disrupt than centralised grids.”
‘19th-century solution’
In response to the report, wind and solar trade bodies criticised the suggestion that renewables served to weaken energy security.
Tara Singh, the chief executive of RenewableUK, said: “Home-grown clean power is enabling the UK to take back control of our energy, reducing the impact on hard-pressed bill payers of sudden price spikes in international gas markets caused by events we can’t control.”
Chris Hewett, the head of industry body Solar Energy UK, accused the Adam Smith Institute of “seeking a 19th-century solution to 21st-century problems”.
“For real energy security we must wean ourselves off reliance on expensive and volatile oil and natural gas,” he added.
A spokesman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “The UK has one of the most reliable electricity systems in the world.
“By delivering more home-grown power we control, with nuclear, solar and wind power, we are building resilience for the country and financial security for communities, families and businesses.”
