YOU’VE BLOWN IT
Activists’ fury as fossil fuel rigs lined up for areas designated for offshore wind farms
ANGRY campaigners have blasted Rishi Sunak after he said he’d allow North Sea oil exploration in areas set aside for offshore wind.
The North Sea Transition authority (NSTA) said it was granting about 30 licences to firms to look for oil and gas on sites designated as windfarms.
activists said it was further proof the Prime Minister had abandoned the climate fight.
Friends of the Earth Scotland said: “Rishi Sunak wants to undermine clean renewable power by inviting big polluters to keep on searching for fossil fuels we already cannot afford.
“oil and gas bosses are getting filthy rich and trashing the planet while people struggle to pay their energy bills. Plans for oil and gas are impeding the transition to renewables.
“Climate scientists could not be clearer – we must urgently stop burning the oil and gas that is choking our only home.
“Workers need a transition plan that can help them shift to secure green jobs – not political stunts that aim to further lock households into a fossil fuel system that is failing to provide either security or affordability.”
Greenpeace said it was hard to think of a “worse use” for wind farms, saying it’s “like using a nicotine patch to roll a cigarette”.
Industry body Renewables UK accused Tory ministers of “trying to expand extraction against the advice of experts” instead of “prioritising wind”.
The NSTA said it was offering 31 oil and gas licences, with most of these related to exploration and research rather than drilling.
The regulator added: “The North Sea is an important resource for energy security and net zero delivery, so it’s vital that sectors collaborate to ensure those systems can coexist.
“after discussions with the Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland, we’ve introduced a clause for overlapping oil and gas licences and wind leases.
“This will be the main mechanism for these licences to resolve spatial overlaps.”
The UK Government said: “We want to maximise the potential of the North Sea. We welcome work to facilitate the co-location of wind and oil and gas projects.”