‘Landmark’ decision to end oil drilling in new fields welcomed

Environmental campaigners have welcomed the ‘landmark’ UK Government announcement that it will not allow oil and gas drilling in new fields in the North Sea.

However, campaigners criticised the introduction of loopholes allowing new drilling in existing fields and urged Minsters to follow through by rejecting proposals to drill in new projects such as the Rosebank and Cambo fields.

Friends of the Earth Scotland oil and gas campaigns manager Rosie Hampton commented,

“This is a landmark announcement from the UK Government that sends a clear signal that we are on the path to ending fossil fuels.

“Ministers must quickly follow this up with a ban on drilling new fields, starting with Rosebank and Cambo, and deliver funding to support workers and communities through the transition.

“However, it is infuriating to see the capitulation to fossil fuel lobbyists by allowing more drilling in existing fields through tiebacks.

“It makes no difference to the climate pollution caused whether the oil comes from a tieback or an existing well, so this loophole must be closed. If you give the oil industry an inch, it will take a mile. We’ve seen how jobs have been cut despite these companies making obscene profits in recent years.

“As we start to wind down our use of fossil fuels and build a greener energy system, we need to make sure it is owned and run in the public interest, using it to bring bills down and to create good, long-term jobs that will support our communities for generations to come.

So long as new wells are being drilled, oil workers will not get the support they need to transition to green industries with a truly long term future.”

On the retention of the oil and gas windfall tax, Hampton continued,

“The UK Government was correct to ignore the brass-necked demands for lower taxes on the industry which has profited so much from the pain of household energy bills in recent years. It is embarrassing for all those politicians pleading poverty on behalf of firms who’ve made hundreds of billions in profits since the invasion of Ukraine drove up fossil fuel prices. “

ENDS