England on Energy 1978

January 25, 1978

Complete Set of 4 nos of commemorative postage stamps on the Energy Resources of the United Kingdom :

Issued by Great Britain

Issued on Jan 25, 1978

Issued for : Great Britain’s wealth of energy resources.

Picture : Different energy resources : 9p – Oil Production Platform in the North Sea, 10½p – Coal and Pithead, 11p – Natural Gas & Flame and 13p – Electricity–Producing Nuclear Power Plant and Uranium Atom Diagram.

Designed by : Peter Murdoch FSIAD.

Colour : Multicoloured

Type : Stamps, Mint condition

Denomination : 9, 10½, 11 & 13 Pence

Size : 3.00 x 4.10 cms.

Perforation : 14 x 15

Paper : Unwatermarked, coated, phosphor treated paper.

Number per Sheet : 100

Printed by : Harrison & Sons Limited

Printing Process : Photogravure

About :

Energy is a key resource in modern society. Our industrial strength and high standard of living depend on its certain supply.
The five-fold increase in oil prices since 1973 has made the world’s consumers realise that the era of cheap energy is over. It will never return.
The United Kingdom is fortunate. We are entering a period of self-sufficiency in our energy supplies. But even if the most optimistic predictions for our indigenous energy reserves are fulfilled – and however carefully we use them – North Sea oil and gas supplies are likely to fall short of our needs beyond the year 2000. Our massive reserves of coal will make up some of the shortfall, but there is a limit to how fast coal production can be expanded.
Energy demand has been rising steadily. There is serious concern that conventional fossil fuels – coal, oil, gas – and alternative energy sources – such as the sun, wind, waves and tides – will not be able to meet our demands in the next century even with the help of an increasing nuclear contribution. Nuclear power will continue to have an important contribution to make. We will need to keep open the nuclear option and ensure that we have the capacity to expand nuclear power rapidly in the late 1980’s and 1990’s if that course proves economically desirable and acceptable in other respects.
Against this background of the prospect of relatively scarce and high cost energy supplies, the vital importance of energy saving becomes clear.
Greater efforts in the efficient use of energy and the elimination of wasteful practices will benefit us all by reducing our future dependence on scarce and expensive resources by giving scientists and technologists time to develop alternative and acceptable energy supplies.
Energy inefficiency in our homes, offices and factories is an unwanted legacy of an era of cheap fuel. We can no longer afford it.