On behalf of Her Majesty's Government, let me welcome GasTech to London. This is a key conference in a vital industry that's of strategic importance to the UK.
You've come to London after the capital has had an exceptional summer. It was at the centre of the celebrations of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. And of course we hosted the enormously successful Olympics and Paralympics.

This very building, ExCeL, provided the stage for boxing, fencing, wrestling, judo and taekwondo.

I trust GasTech's next four days here will be rather less physical, but every bit as hard-hitting.

The gas industry of course plays a critical role in Britain's energy policy. The UK is a major consumer of gas: among the largest in Europe. Over £22bn worth of natural gas was sold in the UK last year, making it the single most important fuel in the UK's energy mix. Gas provided 68% of our heating and accounted for 37% of our primary energy use...

• The full speech is available on the DECC website