The North Sea oil and gas ramp-up is not a short-term solution to Europe’s dependence on Russian supplies, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.
The UK and US ban imports of Russian oil, while the EU is reducing gas consumption from the country in response to Ukraine’s invasion.
Scottish Conservatives argue that increasing North Sea production could help reduce dependence on Russia.
But Ms Sturgeon said it would take years to develop new oil or gas fields.
She said the best step was to “accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels” – and urged the UK government to act to protect households from rising energy prices in the meantime.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to present a new energy supply strategy, speculating that this could involve greater use of domestic energy resources.
There are questions about how this would meet the UK’s climate change targets, but Mr Johnson said “the reality is that there is a crisis at the moment”.
Speaking in Holyrood, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said production from the mothballed Cambo oil field off Shetland “could help reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian oil and gas”.
While acknowledging the climate goals, he said: “Russia’s war has changed the situation and we have to accept that”.
He added: “Scotland could deal a blow to Vladimir Putin by increasing domestic oil and gas production. We could increase that production now, we could eliminate the need to import foreign gas and export more to reduce foreign dependence on Russia.
“It’s time to be practical and realistic.”
Ms Sturgeon said Scotland is not dependent on Russian supplies in the same way as other European countries but said “we will all bear the burden of increased energy and food prices”.
However, she insisted that suggesting that the North Sea could provide an immediate solution to the crisis was not credible as the existing fields were underutilized.
The First Minister also dismissed the idea of bringing new nuclear power stations online to boost Britain’s energy mix.
She said: “We are not doing anyone any favors by proposing solutions that are not short-term panaceas.
“For example, if we gave Cambo the green light now, it could start producing oil in 2026 at the earliest.
“If we gave the green light to new nuclear power plants today, it would take years, if not decades, for them to become operational.”
Ms Sturgeon also called on the UK government to step in to help people struggling with fuel, gas and food bills.
She said: “It is inevitable that we will need significant financial intervention from the Chancellor to protect households across the country from the effects of rising inflation.”
Industry groups have urged ministers to find consensus on the future, with Offshore Energies UK saying oil and gas are still needed in the short term.
Chief Executive Deirdre Michie said investment in the North Sea was needed as part of a “fair and controlled transition” away from fossil fuels if Britain is to avoid increasing import dependency.
Speaking at the First Minister’s questions, Ms Sturgeon also accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of committing war crimes in Ukraine.
A Russian airstrike on a maternity and children’s hospital in the city of Mariupol on Wednesday killed three people, including a child, and wounded 17 others.
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Ms Sturgeon said she was “appalled and deeply disturbed” by the scenes, which she said marked a “new low point” in the Russian invasion.
She added: “Vladimir Putin commits crimes against international law on a daily basis, he commits crimes against humanity, he commits war crimes.
“It is important to do everything we can to stop Vladimir Putin, but it is also important to ensure that he pays the ultimate price for the actions he is taking and the crimes he is now committing.”
Ms Sturgeon’s comments were echoed by other party leaders, with Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross accusing the Russians of targeting children, while his Labor colleague Anas Sarwar said Mr Putin “must fail” and “face justice”. .
They spoke just hours after the UK government announced plans to liberalize the visa process for people fleeing Ukraine to come to the UK.
However, the three party leaders agreed that the changes, which would allow applications to be submitted online and have additional paperwork and biometric checks carried out upon their arrival in the UK, did not go far enough.
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