HL Deb 21 December 2004 vol 667 cc147-8WA
Lord Marlesford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they expect the United Kingdom to become a net importer of oil. [HL530]

Lord Sainsbury of Turville

Paragraph 6.13 of the February 2003 Energy White PaperOur energy future—creating a low carbon economy (Cm 5761) noted that it is "likely that the UK will become a net importer of gas on an annual basis by around 2006 and of oil by around 2010". While projections of both supply and demand are inherently uncertain, on the basis of the latest information available to the Department of Trade and Industry it now seems most likely that the United Kingdom will become a net importer of oil on an annual basis in 2009.