RE: The Guardian - UK Gov U turn on north sea O&G9 Jun 2025 19:57
"with domestically produced oil and gas being replaced with imports from Qatar and the US, sources believe the Treasury is anxious to allow projects to move ahead to protect the more than 200,000 jobs that rely on the North Sea sector, and the billions in forecast tax revenues the industry generates.
“Within the Treasury there is a desire to interpret the manifesto commitment loosely,” a second industry source said. “If there is an existing licence related to a field which means it might not be considered a ‘greenfield’ site then perhaps an expansion of that area could be acceptable.”
The North Sea contributes £25bn in value to the UK economy each year, according to the trade group Offshore Energies UK, which is more than five times the contribution of the UK steel industry and twice the contribution of the UK car industry.
“I suspect there will be some difficult internal rows about what counts as a ‘new licence’ between DESNZ and the Treasury - but I suspect that ultimately the Treasury will win this battle, with support from No 10,” the source added".