No ‘net zero’ pledge, no right to drill for North Sea explorers
Oil and gas operators told to hit net zero or face exclusion from North Sea drilling licences
16 January 2021 • 8:00pm
Oil and gas producers who refuse to commit to reducing their carbon emissions to “net zero” will be excluded from North Sea drilling licences, the new Business Secretary has signalled.
Kwasi Kwarteng said a “quid pro quo” with the sector meant it would only get government support if it took “decarbonisation very seriously indeed”.
Oil and gas producers in the UK have been under growing pressure to cut their methane and carbon dioxide emissions, which accounted for 4pc of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2018.
08 January 2021
Share
UK Energy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng said he looks forward to “a year of delivery” in 2021, following the publication of the Energy White Paper on 14 December. In an interview with Chris Lambert, director of the Westminster Energy Forum (WEF), Kwarteng explained some of the ministerial thinking behind the White Paper and provided further background on the government’s strategy for reaching net-zero by 2050.
UK Energy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng during the interview with WEF
A video of the recent interview, which was made public today, signalled the launch of WEF s 2021 Work Programme, which features among other things, four climate risk and strategy events throughout the year involving a group of four COP26 Directors.