Britain bought Russian energy worth 8,000 tanks in eight years

By David Vetter

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine entering its second month of hostilities, Oxford University researchers have revealed that the United Kingdom has paid about $ 30 billion to buy Russian oil and gas since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. which could be used by Vladimir Putin to buy 8,000 new generation tanks.

In an analysis published by the Smith School of Business and Environment at Oxford, researchers suggest that Britain could cut imports of Russian oil by 2023 and Russian gas by 2024 if the government followed the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee. (CCC) of the country.

In addition, they reveal that Britain could be completely independent of Russian gas if each household reduced its central heating by 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

“It’s shocking to think that we’s given 22 22 billion to Russia, with Putin launching a brutal and disastrous military offensive,” said Cameron Hepburn, director of the Smith School. T-14 Armata from the Russian side. With a price tag of $ 4 million per tank, the T-14 has not been developed on the battlefield, as its cost is too high for Russian forces to risk losing, according to some analysts.

“The money spent on oil and gas imports can instead be invested in installing cleaner energy, saving money for UK households in the long run and helping to protect the planet,” Hepburn said.

As he explained, the CCC’s commitment (2020) to a “balanced path to zero net energy consumption” would reduce demand for oil and gas in the UK by 30% from 2022 to 2030, saving around 70 70 billion ($ 93 billion) by the end of the decade.

“Such a reduction in demand would give the UK the choice to cut back on more costly imports or the strategic choice to cut Russian gas and oil imports by 2024,” Hepburn said.

The CCC plan sets out an investment strategy aimed at reducing emissions in the UK by 78% – from 1990 levels – by 2035. It envisages an increase in investment to 50 50 billion (66 billion). dollars) per year until 2030, mostly from the private sector, in order to continue the energy transition from fossil fuels, energy upgrades of buildings and to create infrastructure for the use of electric vehicles. In line with government policy, the CCC says the impact of these investments will be far-reaching: among other things, a number of new jobs will be created, consumers will see reductions in energy bills and improved health outcomes.

The Oxford analysis also includes the “Minus 1” proposition. In particular, he notes that “the United Kingdom could eliminate its need for Russian gas supply if all households lowered their thermostats by 1 degree Celsius.” This estimate is based on a study by Simon Evans, researcher and co-editor of the Carbon Brief, who estimated that this would reduce gas demand by 21 terawatt hours per year. According to Oxford researchers, this amount is equivalent to the share of Russian gas in the energy mix of the United Kingdom.

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