Letter: Old and new energy can work together

Contrary to your article "Stay off our patch, oil industry tells North Sea wind farm developers" (1 November 2010), the UK oil and gas industry is not poised for conflict with its new offshore neighbours from the renewables sector.

The UK will have to exploit all sources of energy production to meet its future energy needs and so it is hugely important that the two sectors - offshore hydrocarbons and wind - work together losely.

Strong co-operation between the two industries will be especially required for those areas offshore which have been licensed for many years for oil and gas exploration and production and which, more recently, have seen permissions for wind farm development.

While the potential for conflict does of course exist, it is furthest from our minds.

Just ten days ago, Oil & Gas UK held a well-attended joint workshop with Renewable UK to improve communication between the two sectors, promote common understanding and establish a plan for solving any emerging issues, with the intention of achieving constructive collaboration between the two industries.

The meeting was very helpful and will provide a firm foundation upon which future relations can be built.

Such co-operation between our industry and other users of the sea is not new for us.

We have been working in this way with the fishermen for the past 40 years.

Malcolm Webb

Oil & Gas UK

Bressenden Place

London