17th July 2026
When Russia invaded Ukraine, many people assumed the biggest effects would be felt in Eastern Europe.
Instead, households across Britain soon discovered that a war more than 1,500 miles away could affect everything from electricity bills to supermarket prices.
Now, after repeated Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries and continuing tensions in the Middle East, many people are asking another question.
Can Britain ever become truly energy secure?
Or will events thousands of miles away always determine what we pay?
We produce more energy than many people realise
Britain is not a country with no energy resources.
We still have:
North Sea oil
North Sea natural gas
offshore wind
onshore wind
hydro-electric power
nuclear power
growing solar generation.
Scotland, in particular, has become one of Europe's leading renewable energy producers.
On windy days, Scottish wind farms can generate more electricity than Scotland itself needs, with surplus power exported to other parts of the UK.
So why do prices still rise?
Energy is sold in international markets
The answer is that energy does not exist in isolation.
Oil is traded globally.
Natural gas is increasingly traded internationally as liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Electricity prices in Britain are also influenced by the cost of gas because gas-fired power stations often provide the final electricity needed to balance supply and demand.
That means even if renewable electricity is plentiful, the market price can still be influenced by global gas prices.
Britain imports as well as exports
Although Britain produces significant amounts of energy, it also imports large quantities.
Some North Sea production is exported.
Some fuels are imported.
Different refineries specialise in different products.
Gas flows through pipelines and arrives by ship.
The result is an interconnected system where no country is completely independent.
Scotland's remarkable position
This creates an unusual situation.
Caithness is surrounded by some of Europe's greatest renewable energy resources.
Offshore wind developments continue to expand.
The Pentland Firth offers world-class tidal energy potential.
Hydro-electric power remains an important contributor.
Yet local households still pay prices largely determined by national and international markets.
Many residents understandably ask why living beside abundant energy resources does not automatically mean lower bills.
What would true energy security look like?
Complete energy independence is probably unrealistic.
However, Britain could become more resilient.
Possible steps include:
maintaining North Sea production during the transition
expanding offshore wind
investing in tidal energy
improving electricity storage
building more battery capacity
strengthening the electricity grid
increasing nuclear generation
improving home insulation
reducing overall energy demand.
None removes Britain's exposure entirely.
Together they reduce vulnerability.
Storage may become the missing piece
Renewable energy creates another challenge.
The wind does not always blow.
The sun does not always shine.
Britain therefore needs ways of storing energy produced during good conditions for use later.
Large batteries are expanding rapidly.
Pumped-storage hydro schemes can store electricity for later use.
Hydrogen may eventually become another form of long-term storage.
If these technologies develop successfully, Britain could rely less on imported gas during periods of low renewable generation.
Why oil still matters
Even if electricity becomes almost entirely renewable, oil will remain important for many years.
Cars are gradually becoming electric.
But aviation, shipping, agriculture, heavy transport and many industrial processes still depend heavily on oil.
That means disruptions affecting global oil supplies will continue influencing prices throughout the economy.
Lessons from recent crises
The past few years have demonstrated how interconnected energy has become.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine disrupted European gas markets.
Conflict around the Red Sea affected shipping routes.
Tensions involving Iran created concern over the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil trade passes.
Now Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries remind us that energy infrastructure itself has become part of modern warfare.
Each event has increased uncertainty.
Markets rarely like uncertainty.
What does this mean for Caithness?
Few parts of Britain illustrate the contradiction more clearly.
Caithness contributes to Britain's energy future through:
offshore wind projects
electricity transmission
engineering expertise
renewable energy research
proximity to marine energy developments.
Yet households remain exposed to exactly the same global price shocks as everyone else.
In some respects they face even greater challenges because many homes rely on heating oil and journeys by car are often unavoidable.
Looking ahead
Britain is almost certainly becoming more energy secure than it was a decade ago.
Renewable generation continues growing.
Battery storage is expanding.
The electricity grid is becoming more flexible.
Technology is improving every year.
But complete independence is unlikely.
Energy has become a global business.
A refinery in Russia.
A gas field in Norway.
A tanker in the Gulf.
A drought reducing hydro-electric generation.
A hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.
All can eventually influence the bills landing on kitchen tables in Caithness.
Perhaps that is the biggest lesson of all.
The question is no longer whether Britain can isolate itself from the world's energy markets.
It cannot.
The challenge is building a system resilient enough that global crises cause inconvenience rather than economic shock.
For communities like Caithness, that may prove to be one of the defining economic questions of the next twenty years.