New drilling in the North Sea makes economic and environmental sense
If we’re going to use gas, and we are, it is surely preferable to use the domestically produced variety
In the fierce debate that surrounds North Sea energy there is at least one point upon which all sides seem to agree: we are still heavily dependent on gas and are likely to remain so for many years to come.
Otherwise, it would surely not be the case that the UK government is considering acquiring a huge ship capable of vaporising liquified gas imported from elsewhere in the world.
Ministers are also looking at creating a stockpile of natural gas that the government could draw upon in emergencies, according to proposals published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
The ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz causing global market turmoil,has clearly focused minds at Whitehall on how best to protect supplies.
But, unsurprisingly, the plans have provoked sharp criticism from those in the North Sea energy sector who argue the government should instead focus its efforts on securing domestic supplies.
Industry leaders are awaiting decisions from the UK government on whether to approve new fields at Rosebank, west of Shetland, and Jackdaw, east of Aberdeen, following the closures of consultations on these proposals earlier this month.
Russell Borthwick, the chief executive of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said: “If you block North Sea production, you get imports.
“It would therefore defy belief for a prime minister to block production at Jackdaw and Rosebank – two fields which alone could provide around 10 per cent of our future gas supply – only to then wave in tankers carrying higher-carbon liquified natural gas from overseas.”
Mr Borthwick makes a perfectly valid point. If we are going to use gas, and we are, then it is surely far preferable – from both an economic and an environmental point of view – that we use our own domestically produced gas instead of importing it from elsewhere.
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