New North Sea licences: A wrecking ball through the UK’s climate commitments?

Criticism is mounting against the UK government’s decision to issue hundreds of new oil and gas licences in the North Sea in a bid to boost the country’s energy independence and economy. The main concern is that this will hamper the UK’s energy transition efforts while doing little to address security of supply fears. However, supporters of the move point out that, with natural gas expected to stay in the picture for decades, North Sea volumes are typically less polluting than those the UK imports, and that failing to replace the country’s maturing fields will leave it with minimal low-carbon alternatives.