Projects

The new Prime Minister has said he wants a "pragmatic" approach to the North Sea, and in August set out what he means by it: accelerating extraction so that it pays for the transition. But can the UK’s oil and gas tax regime deliver the money? And is the proposed new Oil and Gas Revenue Levy actually going to protect households?

The expansion of the UK’s renewable energy sectors are at the heart of the UK and Scottish government’s existing industrial strategies. Yet oil and gas workers who want to transition into existing clean energy today have been left in limbo. This is because a central tool that is designed to bridge the gap between offshore oil and gas and renewable energy jobs — the Energy Skills Passport — is falling far short of what workers need. 

Amid obvious and escalating climate impacts, some supporters of more North Sea drilling – including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch – have sought to claim that UK oil and gas production is ‘better for the environment’ because it reduces our reliance on ‘dirtier’ imports. The claim is one that has been made by successive Conservative leaders to justify more domestic production. It is deeply misleading.