As a reference point the UK has about the lowest consumer energy taxes in the EU, and the highest consumer prices.
No it doesn't, not even close...
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/...
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/...
Unless I misunderstand what you mean by consumer prices?
Unfortunately it's too late to edit my comment for clarification.
It seems very misleading to say "taxpayer support" for a tax preference, especially when tax revenue for north sea oil is going to be well over that 6bn.
This is part of why Norway can make around £400 Billion more money than the UK from a similar amount of oil, extracted from basically the same place:
http://www.resourcegovernance.org/blog/did-uk-miss-out-%C2%A...
See also "Hollywood Accounting".
The article itself says the rest is partly because of lower taxes on the oil industry, but mostly because
1. The peaks of oil production in the UK's and Norway's fields were at different times when the market price of oil was different.
2. Norway has fewer fields but more reserves which made extraction more efficient.
It's also worth pointing out that the £6bn/year figure in the Independent article seems to be a bit of a wank too.