It said the licences in the central and northern North Sea and west of Shetland were awarded first to let operators press ahead with their plans to explore and develop oil and gas resources. This has brought much criticism from climate groups who have claimed this action would be “fuelling the climate crisis rather than helping to fix it”. Chief executive David Whitehouse said: “We all recognise that our energy system must change, and our industry includes companies that are expanding into renewables while using their expertise to pioneer ever cleaner energy production. “The reality of the energy transition is that we need both oil and gas and renewables in an integrated system to protect the UK’s energy needs over the coming years." He added that with "careful management" the UK could become "the gold standard of energy transitions".

Source: The Times October 30, 2023 08:05 UTC