London, April 9, 2026: The United Kingdom has been partially protected from rising gas prices since the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East, largely due to its increasing reliance on renewable energy, according to a new report released on Thursday. Report BSS/AFP
The report by energy think tank Ember states that the growing share of clean energy has reduced the country’s gas purchases by about £7 million (around $9.4 million) per day compared with the previous energy crisis between 2021 and 2023.
Energy prices in the United Kingdom remain among the highest in Europe, partly because more than a quarter of the country’s electricity is still generated from natural gas. Gas prices have experienced frequent spikes in recent years, particularly since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Despite this, the UK has emerged as one of Europe’s leaders in renewable energy adoption, especially in wind power. Both onshore and offshore wind projects have significantly expanded in recent years.
According to the National Energy System Operator, wind energy alone generated nearly 30 percent of the country’s electricity in 2025.
The UK government has also set an ambitious target for low-carbon energy sources to meet 100 percent of national electricity demand by 2030.
The report noted that Britain has added more than a quarter of its current wind and solar capacity since the onset of the last energy crisis.
“Strong renewable generation reduced the need for gas purchases when prices spiked,” said Josie Murdoch, co-author of the report.
According to the analysis, if gas-powered electricity generation had remained at 2021 levels, the cost of gas used for power production during the first weeks of the current Middle East conflict would have been 52 percent higher.
Murdoch added that the findings demonstrate how renewable energy is already helping cut dependence on gas and lowering costs, even before long-term deployment targets are fully achieved.
