Comment by BVAA CEO Rob Bartlett

The news from the Middle East over recent weeks has been deeply troubling. Beyond the human cost, which must always be our first concern, the unfolding disaster is once again reminding the world how fragile global supply chains really are, particularly when it comes to energy.  Events thousands of miles away can have immediate and profound consequences for prices, availability and confidence here in the UK.

For our industry, this matters.  Valves and actuators may not grab headlines, but they sit at the very heart of energy infrastructure.  When geopolitical instability disrupts the flow of oil and gas, it is the integrity, reliability and maintainability of assets that come under scrutiny.  The uncomfortable truth is that energy security is national security, and recent events underline that point with renewed force.

The UK has a long and proud history of oil and gas production from the UK Continental Shelf.  While the energy transition is both necessary and inevitable, it would be dangerously naive to assume that hydrocarbons can simply be wished away in the near term. Domestic production remains a critical component of a balanced and resilient energy system.  It reduces reliance on imports, limits exposure to volatile international markets, and ensures that we retain sovereign control over assets that are essential to keeping logistics moving, the lights on and homes heated.

Maintaining that capability requires more than reservoirs and platforms.  It requires a healthy, competitive and innovative UK supply chain.  Our valve and actuator manufacturers, distributors and service providers are a vital part of that ecosystem.  They bring decades of expertise, rigorous standards, and a deep understanding of the demanding environments in which UK offshore assets operate.  Once that capability is lost, it is exceptionally difficult - and expensive - to rebuild.  Some would say impossible.

There is also a strategic dimension that deserves greater attention.  In times of international crisis, nations that retain domestic engineering and manufacturing capacity are better placed to respond quickly and decisively.  Dependence on long, complex overseas supply chains may appear efficient in times of stability, but it becomes a liability when those chains are disrupted.  Ensuring that critical components can be designed, manufactured, maintained and supported in the UK is therefore not just an industrial concern, but a matter of resilience.

This is not an argument against progress or decarbonisation.  It is an argument for realism.  A secure transition is one that recognises the ongoing role of oil and gas, supports responsible domestic production, and values the specialist industries that underpin it.  The UK valve sector has a crucial role to play in that journey, both today and in the decades ahead.

As we watch events unfold in the Middle East, the lesson for the UK should be clear.  Energy security cannot be outsourced, and nor can the industrial capability that supports it.  Protecting and investing in our domestic oil and gas supply, and the valve expertise that makes it possible, is not backward-looking.  It is a pragmatic and necessary part of safeguarding our national interest.

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