North Sea oil and gas licenses ‘overlap’ with marine protected areas, which are home to threatened species. The analysis by Uplift found that more than a third of the locations being offered clash with protected zones, the Independent reported.

The government’s response to the consultation on the UK Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment 4 (OESEA4) Environmental Report paved the way for future licensing for offshore oil and gas.

As expected, Licences are being made available for blocks, with the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) estimating over 100 may be granted.

The International Energy Agency has warned that no new fossil fuel project is compatible with efforts to curb global heating, which is driven primarily by burning fossil fuels.

Exploiting new oil & gas fields is “radically at odds” with UK commitments

The news follows the statement from researchers at Global Energy Monitor (GEM) who said that exploiting new oil and gas fields is “radically at odds” with the UK’s commitments to fight climate change.  GEM also calculated the greenhouse gas emissions if all the North Sea’s reserves were extracted and burnt. They said it would lead to the UK exceeding its legally binding carbon budget by almost two-fold.

Sky News reported that a total of 898 blocks and part blocks are being made available, but in a bid to encourage production of new oil and gas supplies as quickly as possible the NSTA has identified four “priority cluster areas” in the southern North Sea.

Those areas, located off Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, are known to contain hydrocarbons, which are close to existing infrastructure, giving them the potential to be developed quickly. The NTSA said it will seek to license these areas ahead of others.

“Every cubic inch of gas”

The UK Government’s Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has recently said that “we have to get every cubic inch of gas out of the North Sea, because actually it’s better for our economy and it’s greener.”

The process, which will run until the end of June, is the first since 2019-2020. The process was near annual before that but it was put on hold by the government while it designed a “climate compatibility check”. However, the check has been criticised because it is only advisory and does not restrict authorities from granting a licence, the Guardian reported.

Greenpeace said the decision to launch the licensing round was “possibly unlawful and we will be carefully examining opportunities to take action”.

Oil and gas exploration “good for the environment”

Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, said the move was “entirely compatible” with climate targets. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Stuart said: “Actually it’s good for the environment, because when we burn our own gas it’s got lower emissions around its production than foreign gas… as well as supporting British jobs.

“So you really can be assured that it’s actually – I know it sounds contradictory – but it’s actually good for the environment that we are going to produce more of our gas and oil at home.”

Oil & gas development “risks biodiversity”

The Independent reported that analysis by the campaign group Uplift found that 352 of the 898 locations being offered – more than a third – fall across areas designated to protect species and habitats among other important environmental features. Some of those overlaps are tiny, but 166 of the locations fall fully within the protected zones, it added.

Dr Chris Tuckett, Director of Programmes at the Marine Conservation Society, said further gas and oil development “risks biodiversity in some of our most important marine habitats which are supposed to be protected, as well as posing a threat to our global climate.”