ABSTRACT
From the end of the Second World War until the 1970s Western Europe has become increasingly dependent upon imported oil. This was due to relatively rapid economic growth coupled with a relatively high level of energy consumption. During this period more energy-intensive patterns of consumption became widespread in Western Europe. Automobile ownership became common and fuel heating systems were installed in homes, offices and factories Western Europe's coal reserves were mostly of poor quality and production was difficult to expand. As a result, Western European governments sought to accommodate the international oil companies, which at the time seemed the best guarantee for an uninterrupted flow of cheap oil. The UK and Norway were no exception to this rule, even if their degree of energy self-sufficiency was higher than most other Western European countries. Coal in the UK and hydro-electricity in Norway meant a relatively moderate dependence upon oil imports.
