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Https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/OPEC-Surprises-With-Oversized-Output-Hike.html

Let’s be clear about the value of the North Sea

Offshore Energies UK boss responds to minister’s claims there’s no difference between oil and gas imports and domestic North Sea production.

https://www.energyvoice.com/renewables-energy-transition/575658/lets-be-clear-about-the-value-of-the-north-sea/

Proposed to make windfall tax on O&G-companies permanent. Stupidity has no boundaries amongst Labour MP's.

Ofgem approves £24bn investment into UK energy networks

Move is first step in potential £80bn electricity investment over five years

https://www.ft.com/content/b7dc0539-4286-4032-9d40-d87bb78da55c

Britain’s energy regulator has provisionally approved £24bn of investment in the country’s gas and electricity networks, in a move that risks pushing up already elevated household energy bills.

The regulator plans to sign off on £8.9bn of investment in Britain’s high voltage electricity transmission network and more than £15bn investment in gas networks between 2026 and 2031, as part of plans to bolster the UK’s energy security.

It marks the first stage of a potential £80bn investment in electricity networks over the five-year period. Ofgem expects the investments will lead to an estimated £104 annual increase to charges on household bills.

The investments would fund the “biggest expansion of the electricity grid since the 1960s”, said Ofgem, as pylons and cables are rolled out to help cater for growing levels of wind and solar power, as part of Britain’s clean power push.

The network investments would result in lower costs elsewhere on the system, Ofgem said, estimating the net increase to charges on household bills would be around £24 per year.

The government wants to decarbonise the electricity system by 2030, requiring nearly 1,000km of new onshore cables and 4,500km of offshore cables.

Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of Ofgem, said the investment would “deliver a homegrown energy system that is better for Britain and better for customers”.

He added: “It will ensure the system has greater resilience against shocks from volatile gas prices we don’t control.”

However, the increase in network charges is likely to attract scrutiny at a time of concern about elevated energy bills.

The price cap, which governs typical household bills, started to rise significantly in late 2021 as gas prices soared. It currently stands at £1,720 per year, several hundred pounds higher than before the energy crisis began.

Network charges currently account for about £333 of an annual household bill. On Tuesday, Ofgem said the potential total investment in electricity transmission and gas networks would add £104 to network charges per year from 2031, of which £74 is for the electricity grid and £30 for the gas networks.

Ofgem has yet to approve separate spending plans for the lower voltage electricity networks for 2028-33.

UK energy usage falls in sign of ‘declining economy’

Net zero policies promote de-industrialisation while fossil fuel use surges overseas

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/06/26/uk-energy-usage-falls-in-sign-of-declining-economy/

Britain’s energy consumption has fallen to a new low in a development that will fuel concerns that the economy is in decline.....

It comes amid a collapse in British manufacturing triggered by soaring electricity prices. Britain’s energy-intensive industry sector has shrunk by a third since 2021, with production now at its lowest level since 1990.

Chris Wright, the US energy secretary, has argued that net zero is “impoverishing your own citizens in a delusion that this is somehow going to make the world a better place”.

Richard Tice, Reform UK energy spokesman, said the energy consumption figures were a “disaster” for the UK.

He said: “What these figures highlight in an economy in decline. There is a direct link between a country’s energy consumption trends and its prosperity. If energy consumption is growing then, generally, so is the economy. And if consumption is falling then the economy is likely to be in decline.”

Andrew Bowie, Conservative shadow energy spokesman, said: “Every day we get more evidence of what everyone but Ed Miliband already knows – that net zero by 2050 is impossible without bankrupting Britain."

Ofcourse Ed refutes : Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, has said that Britain’s industrial future will be based on a boom in low-carbon electricity rather than fossil fuels like gas.

At the launch of the Government’s Industrial Strategy he said clean energy was “the economic opportunity of the 21st century” that would release a “tidal wave of jobs”.

He added: “For too long high electricity costs have held back British businesses, as a result of our reliance on gas sold on volatile international markets. Our Industrial Strategy will unlock the potential of British industry by slashing industrial electricity prices in key sectors.

“We’re also doubling down on our clean power strengths with increased investment in growth industries from offshore wind to nuclear. This will deliver on our clean power mission and Plan for Change to bring down bills for households and businesses for good.”

Great to read you 're still alive and well, Jan! Most of us are in the same boat. Best wishes!

Kathryn Porter's latest article in DT : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/06/24/starmers-grand-plan-to-save-industry-is-too-little-too-late/

Major chemical factory shuts days after Starmer unveils Industrial Strategy

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/06/25/chemicals-plant-shuts-sabic-saudi-owned-300-jobs-risk/

Britain’s biggest bioethanol plant will shut without state rescue, says AB Foods

https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/energy/article/britains-biggest-bioethanol-plant-will-shut-without-state-rescue-says-ab-foods-bzltj680k

We can't expect any help on EPL from this Government :

PM: Renewables will help us deal with period of global conflict

Sir Keir Starmer said he wants to push Britain towards renewable sources of power to “insulate” the country from a period of global conflict “the likes of which we haven’t seen in a very long time”.

He said: “We need to insulate ourselves here as best we can.

“Amongst the reasons I want clean power and to get to renewables as quickly as possible by 2030, is not just because it’s right for jobs, technology and cheaper in the long run.

“It’s also because it’s energy secure. It takes us off a volatile global market and gives us better control over our energy.

Following the CCC’s latest report, Andrew Bowie, the Conservative shadow energy spokesman, said: “Even the CCC can see Labour’s plans are not working and are costing the British people and British industry.

“It is time for honesty from Ed Miliband about what his madcap plans are costing and the impact on Britain’s economy as a result.”

Richard Tice, Reform UK’s energy spokesman, said: “This report and the whole CCC will be thrown in the bin under a Reform government.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/06/25/ed-miliband-failure-cuts-household-power-bills-business/

(continued)

“By far the most important recommendation we have for the government is to reduce the cost of electricity,” said Professor Piers Forster, interim chair at the CCC. “If we want the country to benefit from the transition to electrification, we have to see it reflected in the utility bills,” he said.

Heat pumps are three to four times more efficient than gas boilers. Yet the advisers said the 3.7:1 electricity-to-gas price ratio meant a household with a heat pump was paying £490 a year in levy costs.

Emma Pinchbeck, the committee’s chief executive, said evidence from other countries showed the ratio needed to be 3:1 or less to spur cleaner electric technology.

“We’re worried that there won’t just be enough incentive for people who can invest in these [heat pumps and electric cars] to invest in them,” she said.

The committee’s call for cheaper electricity was echoed by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which said the tax system was making reaching net zero more expensive than it needed to be.

.....

And make gas more expensive.

Miliband under fire over ‘no progress’ on electricity prices

The energy secretary has faced criticism from the government’s climate advisers, with electricity now four times more expensive per unit than gas

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/environment/article/miliband-under-fire-over-no-progress-on-electricity-prices-sc7075v0x

Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, has made “no progress” on making electricity cheaper over the past year, according to the government’s climate advisers.

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) said the gap between gas and electricity prices was hampering efforts to increase the number of heat pumps and electric cars in the UK.

A unit of electricity cost almost four times that of gas — the worst ratio in Europe. The difference is partly because electricity bills are artificially inflated by being heavily loaded with the levies that pay for renewable energy and social schemes, such as the warm homes discount.

The committee, which one year ago urged action on the levies, said they could be shifted to gas bills, the exchequer, or a mix of both.

The UK has 7.5 billion barrels of oil and gas remaining to produce, 3.2 billion more than government forecasts, Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) reported.

The trade body argued that the number of barrels that will be produced in the North Sea will be determined by government support.

Currently, the domestic energy sector awaits the outcomes of two key consultations with the government. One was held to determine the future of the highly controversial energy profits levy (EPL), and the other was to consider the issuing of new licences in UK waters.

......

OEUK chief executive David Whitehouse said: “This independent report shows the UK can make much better use of its own North Sea oil and gas to power the country, protect jobs, and cut the need for imports, all while we also accelerate renewables.

“This is not about oil and gas versus wind but about whether we prioritise homegrown oil and gas over imports.

“The UK is at a record 40% of imported energy, with policy decisions not geology driving an accelerated decline in North Sea production.

.......

https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/574790/uk-can-unlock-7-5-billion-barrels-says-oeuk/

Https://www.linkedin.com/posts/serica-energy-plc_serica-chair-david-l-appeared-on-the-today-activity-7341704280829026305-6Kir?utm_source=li_share&utm_content=feedcontent&utm_medium=g_mb_web&utm_campaign=copy

The energy secretary has gone from a staunch opponent of Rosebank to its reluctant architect. His final decision will weigh up the PM, the public and his heart

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/ed-miliband-oil-and-gas-north-sea-vx6ln9r6w

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The government insists it is too early to say how Miliband will rule and all decisions will be made on a “case-by-case basis” — but the politics suggest that a way will be found to give them the go-ahead. Failure to do so would infuriate the GMB union, which is concerned that thousands of jobs could be lost in the North Sea.

A green light would have a significant climate change impact. Rosebank would release an estimated 129 million tonnes of CO₂ over its lifetime, Simon Evans of the website Carbon Brief has calculated. Green group Uplift estimates that Jackdaw would add a further 32 million tonnes. UK emissions last year were the equivalent of 384.2 million tonnes of CO₂.

What this means for Britain’s legally binding carbon targets will depend on how much of the resulting oil and gas is burned domestically. Miliband previously said that 80 per cent of Rosebank’s oil would be exported, so only a fifth of it would add pressure on domestic carbon targets. It’s unclear how much of Jackdaw’s gas would be used in Britain, as it would be fed into the gas network and end use cannot be tracked. Some could be exported.

Decisions by Miliband are expected this autumn. The timing could be awkward for Labour, with the approval landing around the same time as Miliband and other ministers fly to Brazil to trumpet the UK’s emissions-cutting plans at the next UN climate summit, Cop30.

Environmental groups such as Uplift and Greenpeace could also launch legal challenges based on how Miliband has interpreted the new guidance written by his department. They have won before, such as a landmark Supreme Court ruling one year ago.

It’s unlikely Just Stop Oil would reverse its decision to effectively disband due to any approval but many former JSO activists have said they are exploring other avenues for climate activism. A green light would likely galvanise any new group that wants to rise from the ashes of JSO.

There remains another big outstanding question. Will Labour make good on its manifesto pledge of banning future projects? It is promising a consultation on the flagship measure this year but may be unwilling to make a final decision before Scottish elections next year, given the importance of the oil and gas industry in Scotland.

Pure curiosity : are you based in the North of Sweden (Jämtland, Västerbotten, Norrbotten)?

High energy costs trigger closure of major UK wind turbine supplier

Decision by Japanese owner to shut Wigan plant threatens green energy supply chains

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/06/18/energy-costs-trigger-closure-uk-biggest-fibre-glass-factory/

A major supplier to Britain’s green energy industry is set to close after its Japanese owner failed to clinch a rescue deal for the company and its 250 workers.

Wigan-based Electric Glass Fiber UK (EGFU), which is owned by Nippon Electric Glass (NEG), makes vital components used in wind turbines and electric cars. Its closure puts net zero supply chains under threat.

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We will win the fight on net zero, says Ed Miliband

Energy Secretary insists Britain on brink of ‘green industrial revolution’ amid growing backlash

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/06/17/we-will-win-the-fight-on-net-zero-says-miliband/

Ed Miliband has pledged to beat the critics of his net zero policies by creating thousands of new jobs in the UK’s declining industrial regions.

The Energy Secretary said Britain was on the brink of a “green industrial revolution” that would boost employment and bring down household bills as he faces growing political backlash against his net zero agenda.

The Conservatives and Reform UK have increasingly raised concerns over the cost of Britain’s spending on renewables, which has added at least £200 to the average domestic power bill.

Speaking at an offshore wind conference in London, Mr Miliband said: “We are witnessing the coming of age of Britain’s green industrial revolution,” he said. “We are building this new era of clean energy abundance, helping deliver new jobs, energy security and lower household bills through our Plan for Change.”

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It seems we saw something looking like a close to Repairer-spike. About f*ing time!

(continued)

and the Middle East.

According to Rystad Energy, LNG can be up to 10 times more carbon intensive than pipeline gas. This is because while the emissions from burning it are the same, it requires energy to cool LNG to -160C and transport it by ship around the world.

The analysis, reported by the BBC, found that piped gas from Norway generated around 7kg of CO2 per barrel, compared to an average of 70kg for LNG imported to Europe.

Accelerating the decline of the North Sea may mean the UK also ends up with fewer green jobs.

Academics at Robert Gordon University warned that oil and gas jobs were disappearing faster than new clean energy roles were being created as a result of the slower-than-expected deployment of wind farms.

Whereas the offshore wind sector may only generate 29,000 jobs by 2030, some 58,000 disappear from oil and gas in the worst-case scenario.

Paul de Leeuw, director of the university’s Energy Transition Institute, said earlier this month: “You have to wait pretty well to the back end of this decade before there’s enough capacity in the renewables sector to take all the people coming out of oil and gas.

To avoid heavy job losses, researchers said Mr Miliband needed to either attract a larger share of turbine manufacturing to the UK or reverse his ban on new North Sea drilling licences to temporarily boost oil and gas production.

For example, the report found that even if Mr Miliband hits his clean power targets, he could boost the number of green jobs in 2030 by boosting oil and gas production.

Production of 500,000 barrels per day leads to just over 150,000 jobs – whereas production of 700,000 barrels creates around 200,000 jobs.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is consulting on a plan for the North Sea and says it envisions large numbers of jobs coming from offshore wind as well as more nascent industries such as carbon capture and hydrogen production.