North Sea drilling and renewables are not enemies - they are partners
North Sea drilling sparks fiery debate
|GB
The parameters of the energy debate are all wrong, writes the CEO of Viaro Energy Group
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There is an ongoing debate taking place in the corridors of Westminster that I find both understandable and, frankly, dangerous. It is the notion that Britain must choose between its domestic oil and gas industry and its clean energy ambitions - that North Sea drilling and a renewable future are somehow mutually exclusive. They are not.
Let me be clear: I am not a sceptic of clean energy – I am an advocate for a transition that actually works. As the CEO of Viaro Energy, a company that has invested deeply and consistently in the North Sea through pandemic, windfall tax, and political turbulence alike, I am acutely aware of the infrastructure, the capital, and the timelines that any serious energy transition requires.
And it is precisely that awareness which leads me to argue that abandoning domestic oil and gas production prematurely would be one of the costliest mistakes this country has ever made.
"Shutting down North Sea production without a credible alternative does not cut global emissions. It simply offshores them, along with jobs, skills, and tax revenues."
Current geopolitics cannot guarantee our energy security
Instability in the Middle East and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 have shown how exposed Britain’s energy system is to external shocks. Energy is no longer just an economic issue; it is a matter of national resilience.
Why are we continuing to import liquefied natural gas from nations whose supply chains we cannot control in times of shifting allegiances? Why weaken domestic production only to increase dependence on imports with a higher carbon footprint?
At Viaro Energy, our mission has always been to contribute to the energy security of the United Kingdom and Europe.
We have made significant investments in existing gas assets and new field developments precisely because we believe a stable domestic supply is the foundation upon which a credible transition to cleaner energy must be built.
Renewables need a bridge — and that bridge is North Sea gas
The United Kingdom has extraordinary natural advantages in renewable energy. Its coastline is among the windiest in the world. Its offshore engineering expertise, developed over decades in the North Sea, is world-class.
In addition, I welcome the new proposed Energy Independence Bill, which aims to speed up planning for nuclear projects. I cannot understate the urgency of these measures, given that most existing plants in the UK are scheduled to close within the next nine years.
I am not oblivious to the reality of building energy infrastructure. We cannot decarbonise overnight. Offshore wind farms take years to plan, permit, construct, and connect. Battery storage technology at scale remains expensive and insufficiently developed.
Hydrogen as a grid balancing tool is promising, but many industries- including medical equipment and asphalt for roads- are still highly reliant on hydrocarbons and derivatives.
In the meantime, the lights must stay on. Hospitals must remain powered. Homes must be heated.
The bridge fuel that makes all of this possible - the fuel that allows renewables to scale without blackouts - is gas. And the most responsible gas Britain can use is gas produced domestically, under our own environmental standards, employing our own workforce, and leveraging existing infrastructure.
This is what a managed transition looks like in practice: reducing emissions while preserving system stability and industrial capability.
I have been consistent in my position: North Sea licensing must provide visibility well into the next decade. That is not a concession to the fossil fuel lobby. It is accepting the reality on the ground. Companies need planning horizons. Investors need certainty. Without longer-term licences, capital will not flow - and without capital, neither North Sea production nor the clean energy infrastructure that must eventually replace it will be adequately funded.
The government set a 2030 clean electricity target, but without the simultaneous investment in grid infrastructure, planning reform, supply chains and workforce skills to achieve it, it is not realistic. It is being reckless.
The only way forward is a joined-up energy strategy that acknowledges where we are, sets out honestly where we need to go, and charts a credible path between the two.
That strategy must hold three things in balance simultaneously: security, affordability, and sustainability. None of these can be sacrificed for the others.
The government must recognise that domestic North Sea production, operated to the highest environmental standards and taxed fairly, is an asset - not a liability.
But a future in which Britain leads the world in clean energy requires a government willing to plan for it now, and an industry willing to invest in it. Both of those things, right now, remain works in progress.