Sunak allows oil and gas exploration on sites for offshore wind

The government will announce Friday that fossil fuel companies can now explore for oil or gas beneath offshore wind power sites. Campaigners say this is a further sign that ministers have abandoned the climate agenda.

The North Sea Transition Authority, which regulates North Sea gas and oil production, will confirm it has granted licences to around 30 companies for the search for hydrocarbons in sites earmarked to be future offshore windfarms.

Environmentalists and the former net-zero tsar of the Prime Minister have criticized Rishi sunak for this move, expressing concern that future oil and natural gas production may hinder clean energy generation.

It will also give embattled Prime Minister a piece of good news to share with his restive backbenchers, many of whom want to see more oil production in the North Sea. This is especially important the day following what looks to be a brutal set of local elections results.

Chris Skidmore, the former Conservative MP who Recently resigned as Sunak’s Net Zero champion in protest against the government’s policies on climate change.

“Instead, wind should power new oil. The investment should be made in wind and renewables. “More fossil fuels are only going to create stranded investments and stranded employment at a time where demand for oil is declining.”

He said: “This is an incredibly cynical and political stunt that will backfire. We must stop playing politics and risking the future of people and our climate, and instead take a mature position in seeking consensus on a date for new oil and natural gas.”

The NSTA spokesperson said: “The NSTA has worked closely with other regulatory bodies to consider issues of co-location, with offshore wind users and other users.”

According to sources, oil exploration will not include any drilling. Instead, companies will rely on data to determine whether a site has the potential for profitable extraction.

The supporters of the scheme say that, if the sites beneath windfarms are suitable for production then oil and gas platforms can use the power generated by the turbines to reduce their emissions. Before they can start drilling, they will have to reach an agreement with the windfarm operators.

Experts, however, say that the savings made in drilling and extraction will be far less than the emissions produced by burning the oil or gas. The announcement on Friday is expected to undermine investor confidence across the entire green energy sector in Britain.

Investors in offshore wind had already expressed their concern to the UK government over the decision. Some even threatened to withdraw from the clean energy sector.

Doug Parr said, “It is hard to imagine a worse way of using clean electricity generated by windfarms, than to power the dirty industries that are driving the climate crises.” It’s similar to using a nicotine patches to roll a smoke.

Sunak, since he became prime minister, has announced a number of things to reverse the climate policies of the government. These include delaying the end new sales of petrol or diesel cars; and giving a green light to the massive new Rosebank oilfield near the coast of Shetland.

Prime Minister has stated that the policies are part a drive to reduce energy costs and improve energy security. Sunak’s critics, however, believe that Sunak uses them to divide the Conservatives from Labour in this year’s election.

Last month, Chris Stark , the outgoing chairman of the Climate Change Committee , accused Prime Minister of abandoning Britain’s reputation as an international leader in the battle against climate change.

Sunak is under pressure, too, from Tory rebels. The party, which is more than 20 points in the rear, will suffer heavy losses following Thursday’s local election. Sunak is under pressure from Tory rebels, who are also pushing for his removal if the Tories fail to win the mayorships in the West Midlands and Tees Valley this weekend.

No 10 has worked for weeks to develop a plan of action to counter any coup attempt. According to the Guardian, the Prime Minister will likely put his energy policy at the center of any deal he offers to win back his MPs.

The announcement on Friday marks the third round in the 33rd round for North Sea oil-and-gas licensing. Earlier in the year , the government granted licences for 17 companies to search for hydrocarbons. These included Shell, Equinor BP Total Neo and Total.

This phase is different from the previous phases, as officials are now opening up areas of the sea that have been leased out to offshore wind operators. Only 2% of the 100 licences issued by the government each year are approved for production.

Dan McGrail, chief executive of RenewableUK, stated: “Prioritizing offshore wind over oil or gas is not only the right choice for our planet but we should also be doing this on behalf of bill payers, given that renewables are a low-cost way to generate power.”

Parr stated: “Most of planet-heating emission from oil and gas platforms comes from burning the polluting fossil fuels, not from extracting them.

At best, it will only make a tiny dent in carbon footprints of some oil companies. It is more likely that it will greenwash the fossil fuel industry, just as the government continues to try and expand extraction against leading scientists’ advice.

The spokesperson for the Energy Department said: “To increase our energy security, and grow the economy we want to maximize the enormous energy potential of North Sea.

The NSTA, Crown Estates and other stakeholders are working to make it easier for wind and oil and natural gas projects to co-locate as the space offshore becomes more crowded.