The UK Is Almost Totally Reliant on Foreigners to Supply Its Energy – So Much for Energy Security

The UK is almost totally reliant on foreigners to supply its energy – so much for energy security and the setting of prices by OFGEM

SWAPPING DEPENDENCY ON RUSSIAN GAS FOR EU PRICE FIXING AND CHINESE HARDWARE!

PETER HALLIGAN

From Brave AI, in response to this question:

what proportion of the uk’s energy infrastructure is foreign owned

“Approximately one-third of Britain’s infrastructure is foreign-owned, according to a 2022 report by the London Evening Standard citing data from the UK government. This includes major components of the energy sector, particularly in offshore wind and electricity distribution networks.

Offshore Wind Capacity:

• 42.2% of the UK’s current and pending offshore wind capacity is owned by foreign public entities, including state-owned enterprises and public pension funds.
• 82.2% of all current and pending offshore wind capacity is foreign-owned overall, with 44.2% specifically owned by public foreign entities.
• The UK government owns just 0.03% of this capacity—less than the governments of Malaysia (0.1%) or the city of Munich (0.85%).

Electricity and Gas Networks:

• UK Power Networks (London and South East England) is owned by Hong Kong-based investors (CK Infrastructure, Power Assets, Li Ka-Shing Foundation).
• Northern Powergrid is owned by U.S.-based Berkshire Hathaway Energy.
• Western Power Distribution is owned by U.S.-based PPL Corporation.
• SP Energy Networks is part of Spain’s Iberdrola.
• Gas transmission networks are controlled by Macquarie Asset Management, an Australian-based global infrastructure investor.

Energy Suppliers:

• The Big Six energy suppliers are largely foreign-owned:
  • EDF Energy (France)
  • E.ON UK (Germany)
  • npower (Germany, RWE)
  • Scottish Power (Spain, Iberdrola)
• Only British Gas (Centrica) is UK-rooted, though it is publicly traded and has significant international investor ownership.

Key Implications:

• Profits and dividends from UK energy infrastructure often flow overseas, reducing domestic reinvestment.
• Foreign ownership does not directly raise prices (regulated by Ofgem), but it shapes who benefits from energy returns.
• Advocates argue that public ownership could lower bills, boost energy security, and ensure UK citizens benefit from national resources.

While exact figures may vary slightly over time, the consistent trend shows deep foreign involvement in UK energy infrastructure, particularly in generation and distribution.

Prices dictate profits which dictate living standards and investment – all of which are determined by foreign interests – who send their profits back to their host countries.

Just like the colonial powers of old!

Then there is this headline from today;

French energy giant snaps up Britain’s biggest power network in £10.5bn deal

“French utility giant Engie has agreed to acquire the owner of Britain’s biggest electricity distribution network in a deal worth £10.5billion.

Engie, based in Paris, said it would buy UK Power Networks, which operates electricity cables and power lines across London and the South East, from Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Infrastructure Holdings.

The group, owned by billionaire businessman Li Ka-shing, has owned UKPN for the last 15 years, after buying the network from EDF.

The deal has emerged nearly a year after Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority gave Spain’s Iberdrola the green light to snap up an 88 per cent stake in Britain’s Electricity North West, via its subsidiary, Scottish Power.

UKPN operates around 192,000km of power lines serving 8.5million customers, and will make Britain Engie’s second largest market globally.

Basil Scarsella, chief executive of UKPN, said it would continue to be a ‘global energy leader’.

Beneath all the multi-billion dollar deals lies a network of ‘power brokers’ that all seem to originate in China.

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This article (The UK is almost totally reliant on foreigners to supply its energy – so much for energy security and the setting of prices by OFGEM) was created and published by Peter Halligan and is republished here under “Fair Use”