Photo by Pramod Kumar Sharma
A new study from the University of Aberdeen’s Interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Transition has warned that intensifying competition for space in UK waters is placing the country’s energy transition at serious risk, and is calling for a fundamental overhaul of how offshore areas are governed.
The findings, published by the Geological Society as an open-access peer-reviewed paper, were presented at the OEUK Hydrogen and Carbon Storage Summit in Edinburgh on 2 June. Using the English sector of the North Sea as a case study, the researchers examine how pressures are building across offshore areas, subsurface, seabed, water column and airspace, with expanding renewable energy infrastructure increasingly intersecting with long-standing marine industries and environmental interests.
A system making decisions in silos
At the heart of the problem, the researchers argue, is a fragmented regulatory landscape in which multiple bodies govern offshore space largely independently of one another. Offshore wind, carbon storage, oil and gas, fishing, shipping, helicopter operations and environmental protection are all competing for the same limited space, yet no single authority is responsible for balancing those demands holistically.
“There is a growing, but under-recognised, spatial challenge emerging across the UK Continental Shelf with decisions about offshore space being made in silos,” said co-author Ruth Hamilton, an interdisciplinary researcher at the University of Aberdeen. “Without a unified approach, we risk locking in suboptimal outcomes that could limit future energy options and create avoidable conflicts in already busy offshore environments.”
The paper argues that an interdisciplinary, data-led, evidence-based strategy is needed to ensure trade-offs and opportunities are identified and addressed through technically informed decision-making, and that outcomes can help determine which sector takes primacy in the event of conflicts. The authors call for the creation of a single overarching regulatory body with a unified licensing system, arguing that this would enable evidence-based decision-making, ensure fair arbitration between competing sectors, and help deliver the best overall spatial outcome to meet the UK’s net zero ambitions.
Consequences beyond energy
The study goes further than energy policy alone, warning that the consequences of inaction extend across fishing, navigation, biodiversity and national security. Hamilton added that “intensified spatial congestion and competing uses can lead to loss and displacement of fishing grounds, increased human impact on ecosystems and biodiversity, challenges for navigation, decommissioning and safety at sea and has implications for national security and siting of offshore infrastructure.”
The researchers also highlight the subsurface as a frequently overlooked dimension of the problem. The paper stresses the “oft-ignored role of the subsurface for energy security and geological storage to aid decarbonisation,” warning that failure to identify and reserve key resources could render them inaccessible. Areas critical for oil and gas production, carbon storage, and emerging low-carbon technologies such as compressed air and hydrogen storage could be lost through a lack of coordination.
A transferable model
Co-author Professor John Underhill, Director of Energy Transition at the University of Aberdeen’s Interdisciplinary Institute, stressed that the issues identified are not confined to the Southern North Sea. “The spatial squeeze and conflicts we highlight are not just a Southern North Sea issue,” he said. “While achieving the UK Government’s ambition to become a global leader in clean energy and attain its net zero targets will depend on fundamental reform of offshore governance, the same spatial pressures are emerging elsewhere on the UK Continental Shelf. The approach we take is highly transferable and lessons learned are applicable internationally.”
The paper advocates for a shift towards integrated, data-driven geospatial planning supported by cross-sector collaboration, high-quality spatial data and flexible, adaptive planning frameworks that allow policymakers to identify trade-offs early and support the co-location of compatible activities.
“A coordinated, whole-system approach is essential,” Underhill concluded. “If we are serious about delivering a just and timely energy transition, we must rethink how we manage offshore space.”
The research was supported by the University of Aberdeen Development Trust and the University’s Interdisciplinary Institute.