Regulator dumps oil and gas from name as Tories push to end block on fracking wells

THE oil and gas regulator has been ridiculed by Conservative MPs after changing its name to drop any mention of “oil” or “gas”, as it considers whether to lift an order requiring Britain’s only viable shale gas wells to be sealed.

Last week, the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) changed its name to the North Sea Transition Authority, claiming the switch followed a decision to “fully incorporate net zero in our decision making”.

Steve Baker, the deputy chairman of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group of MPs, said: “It sends worrying signals that the UK’s oil and gas regulator daren’t now use the words ‘oil’ or ‘gas’ in its title.”

A Tory source added: “The OGA has already been as unhelpful as possible, despite the clear instruction from the PM and Business Secretary about wanting to reverse their concreting order. If it’s now rebranding itself, fearful of being associated with oil and gas – industries it’s supposed to be regulating – it’s hardly going to play ball if the moratorium is lifted.”

The body has been formally asked by Cuadrilla, the fracking firm, to lift an order requiring Britain’s only viable shale gas wells to be permanently blocked, as ministers prepared to announce a review of the evidence that led to a national fracking moratorium.

If the order is lifted, the two wells could be used if Tory MPs succeed in overturning the national ban. MPs are also pushing for the “acceptable” limit on any tremors caused by fracking to be increased to match other industries such as geothermal energy production, if the overall moratorium is lifted.

Craig Mackinlay, the Net Zero Scrutiny Group’s chairman, said: “I hope the logjam can be broken and that the OGA doesn’t insist that we pour concrete down Britain’s only two shale gas wells.

“The energy strategy must end Russian influence over all aspects of UK energy policy. Britain has enough natural shale gas under our feet to keep us self-sufficient for at least 50 years.”

As part of the Government’s energy security strategy, which is being drawn up, Boris Johnson is expected to order a review into the evidence that led to the 2019 moratorium on fracking. The ban was introduced “on the basis of the disturbance caused near Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road site in Lancashire” and “scientific analysis” for the OGA.

In a letter to Mr Johnson, 32 Tory MPs and four peers urged him to reverse plans to seal the wells, insisting that Britain must embark on a “national mission” to secure its energy independence.

The letter claims that pressing ahead with the fracking ban would play into the hands of the Kremlin, which they say wants to “stop us following this path to energy independence”.

Cuadrilla is due to start the lengthy process of plugging the wells within days, in order to meet the June 30 deadline imposed by the North Sea Transition Authority.

Andy Samuel, the body’s chief executive, announced the OGA’s name change in an online post which began: “April Fools’ Day is nearly here but jokes and pranks will be far from people’s minds... We are becoming the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) to reflect our expanded role, which includes emissions monitoring and carbon storage licensing.”

A spokesman for the North Sea Transition Authority said: “Our new name reflects our evolving role in the energy transition … The moratorium on hydraulic fracturing was imposed by the then Secretary of State in 2019 and it would not be appropriate for us to comment.”

‘It sends worrying signals that the UK’s oil and gas regulator daren’t now use “oil” or “gas” in its title’