According to the Minister for Business and Energy, Jacob Rees-Mogg, at the opening of the round of negotiations, the granting of 100 new licenses to operate in 898 blocs will support energy security and the country’s economy.
Ensuring our energy independence means leveraging the full potential of our North Sea resources to increase domestic production, he said, noting that UK gas production leaves a smaller carbon footprint than importing gas from abroad.
The North Sea Transitional Authority has announced that the bidding process for areas near existing wells will be accelerated, with the aim of reducing the time between exploration and start of production.
However, the granting of new oil licenses defies warnings from global bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Energy Agency that implementing new oil projects runs counter to efforts to curb global warming.
The British branch of the environmental organization Greenpeace has announced that it will seek legal action to try to prevent the opening of new oil and gas fields in the North Sea.
Philip Evans of Greenpeace UK said this government’s energy policy only benefits fossil fuel companies and no one else.
The activist also considered that the new proposals will not help reduce electricity and gas bills for families struggling to pay for electricity and gas this winter, and will not provide energy security in the medium term.
Evans noted that new permits, especially more fossil fuels, would not solve any of these problems but would exacerbate the climate crisis.
The UK committed last year to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 as part of its commitments to halt climate change, but the government said in late September it would review those plans, with the aim of securing economic growth and energy security as well.
rgh / nm / bm
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