Why do we need
oil and gas?
Helping you beat climate change
Oil and gas materials protect and bind together the solar cells using things such as silicon rubber, plastic and polyesters.
Saving you money, making you more energy efficient
Insulation is made from raw materials from natural gas such as methanol.
Keeping you looking and feeling good!
Up to 80% of today’s medications, cosmetics and toiletries are made from chemicals derived from oil and gas, including oils, waxes and dyes. Even a simple aspirin pill contains oil and gas products including the capsule coating making it easier to swallow and digest.
Keeping you connected
There are around nine litres of oil in the casing of an average computer and monitor and 2 litres in the keyboard.
Keeping clean
Look on the back of almost all cleaning products and you will find a list of the chemicals and components that ensure the products keep your house and clothes clean, sterile or simply smelling nice.
Height of fashion
Many clothes are made from natural fabrics, but a large amount are man-made textiles, 40% of which contain crude oil. Rayon, nylon, spandex, acrylic, and polyester are often mixed together with natural fibres to make them cheaper and more durable.
Plus, most shoes and trainers contain synthetic rubber and nylon and more than 80% of all sunglasses and glasses have plastic lenses made from polycarbonates.
Safely plugged in
Plastics and synthetic rubber are used to insulate the wires, outlets, sockets and switches that all your everyday items are plugged in. It stops you getting a nasty shock.
Recycle it
Natural gas plays an important part in the process of recycling as it provides the heat source used by recycling furnaces to melt down glass and plastics so they can be used again.
Getting from A to B
This is the obvious one isn’t it? Petrol, diesel and aeroplane fuel make up about 72% of petroleum consumption in the world, but you may be surprised at how much oil and gas is used in the rest of your car – and that includes electric cars.
Car parts made from high-performance plastics have replaced heavier materials, both inside and out, all helping to reduce weight, improve fuel economy and enhance safety.
The tyres are made of synthetic rubber which is yet another product made from petrochemicals and even the paint exists thanks to oil and gas products.
And don’t forget, once your car has been made, you still need something to drive it around on. There over 11 million miles of paved road in the world and tarmac is made from oil and gas.
Keeping you cosy
84% of homes in the UK rely on natural gas central heating. That means that not only are your radiators more than likely keeping you warm thanks to gas, but the hot water you need for showers, baths and even doing the washing up is all heated by the little blue gas flame in your boiler.
Gas is transported to your home through 176,000 miles of pipe at up to 25mph.
In future many of our home boilers will use gas and fuel cells to produce both heat and electricity making it more economical and environmentally friendly.
Keeping it fresh
From food preservatives, flavourings, and colourings and the fuel used to transport it all over the world, it’s hard to find food that hasn’t been touched by oil and gas in some way.
Tasty treats
61% of homes in the UK use gas hobs to cook with and just under 30% also have gas ovens. That means that for a large proportion of the country – no gas would mean a cold dinner.
Keeping it cool
Your fridge keeps your food fresher for longer and needs oil and gas products to do what it does best. Tough, impact and corrosion-resistant plastics are used to make the fridge and very thin layers of plastic foam insulation keep your food cool and help you stay energy-efficient.
Bricks and mortar
To say that your house would be empty without oil and gas would be an understatement, but without them you wouldn’t even have a house at all! Many manufacturing processes require heat to melt, dry, bake or glaze a product. Oil and gas are used not only for producing material such as PVC for your pipes but also as a heat source in making glass, steel, cement, bricks, ceramics, tiles, paper and many other commodities and materials which go into the construction of your home.
Switched on
In the UK, we rely on natural gas for 30% of our electricity demand, but its benefit really comes thanks to its reliability, and lower carbon emissions. Gas generation produces half the carbon emissions of using coal and can be quickly started and stopped. This means natural gas can be used both every day and as a reliable back-up source if demand peaks (during half time at a World Cup Final for example) or if renewable power generation drops when there isn’t enough wind or sunshine.
It’s good to talk
About 40% of the materials for mobile phones come from oil and gas.
Ensuring a soft landing
Man-made fibres such as polyester are used for carpets, curtains, sofas and any other furnishings which need to be durable to resist stains and daily wear-and-tear. In fact the average sofa contains 60 litres of oil.
Food on the table
One of the most important uses of gas is in the production of fertilisers used by the agricultural industry. Nitrogen based fertilisers are applied to 75% of all farmland in the UK and without them, farmers would not be able to provide secure and consistent food production which we need to keep our supermarket shelves stacked with British made and locally grown produce.
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Uses of oil and gas
Oil and gas are an essential energy source for the country, powering homes, vehicles and essential industries as well as providing feedstock to the UK Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industries, producing innumerable products we use every day, from computers to detergent bottles. Oil and gas also play a role in medical products for treating everyday illnesses and injuries, including such things as hip replacement cement, dentures, cough medicines, antiseptic wipes, eye drops, sedatives, non-latex gloves etc.
And while we all support a move towards renewable energy sources, even the hardware required for the renewables industry – wind turbines and solar panels for example – rely on oil and gas for their production.
Fossil fuels and climate change
The UK is heavily reliant on hydrocarbons. Oil and gas are a part of our everyday way of life and is the source of many essential products we use all the time. While some would have us believe that we can switch to renewables overnight and ‘keep the lights on’, the reality is far more nuanced and complex.
There is a real part for renewables to play in the UK energy mix and wind, tidal and solar power, along with biomass and geothermal energy, can all play a role in helping to produce electricity to power our homes and businesses.
However, these energy sources are not able to act as a feedstock to produce the vast amount of materials that we rely on every day.
The UK’s energy businesses need to work together to create an energy portfolio which will provide the UK with a sustainable and secure energy source even when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine.
In June 2019, the UK government passed laws committing the UK to end its contribution to global warming by 2050 with a target to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
Whilst technological advances, electric vehicles, increased energy efficiency and energy from renewables will affect the way energy is produced and used in the future, oil and gas will remain significant contributors to the UK’s energy mix even when the net zero CO2 target is achieved.
Page 48 of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2019 published by BEIS, reports that the UK’s oil demand in 2018 was 59 million tonnes with the UKCS producing a total of 51 million tonnes (an import dependency of 13.66%). The Committee on Climate Change (“CCC”) estimates that in 2050 under the net zero scenario, oil demand in the UK will still be around 12 million tonnes (140 tWh as per CCC report) with c. 7% of this being imported (page 252).
The CCC states very clearly that offshoring of emissions is simply not acceptable.
“The design of the policy framework to reduce UK industry emissions must ensure it does not drive industry overseas, which would not help to reduce global emissions, and be damaging to the UK economy.”
Secure energy supply
Whilst the UK is consuming less energy than it did and more of the energy we are consuming is coming from renewable sources (up to 9% of the total consumed) at the same time, the decline in North Sea oil and gas production has meant the UK has become increasingly dependent on imports of energy.
We are now a net importer of oil and gas from other countries and our reliance on imported energy is at levels last seen in the 1970s.
Security of energy supply remains a key issue for the UK. The fact is that for the foreseeable future, all of us use and need oil and gas. Egdon’s work to produce oil and gas will help in a small way to provide the UK with secure energy supplies, reducing the need for imported oil and delivering economic benefits nationally and locally through taxation, business rates and use of local suppliers and services.