Tue, 02 Sep 2025

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 Net-zero 'not a platitude' for oil and gas sector - regulator

The North Sea Transition Authority said the energy transition was "well underway" and has been "for decades".

* Stuart Payne, head of the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), says cutting carbon emissions in the oil and gas sector presents significant commercial benefits.
* The energy transition has been "well underway" for decades, with about half of the £100bn expected to be invested in the North Sea over the next few years going into alternative energies like CCS and floating wind.
* UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch pledges to rid the NSTA of its net-zero "burden" and task it with maximizing oil and gas production.
* Badenoch vows to scrap net-zero compatibility tests for oil and gas permitting, saying the UK is "sabotaging" itself and that families and communities could be wiped out.
* The NSTA has already delivered a 34% cut in emissions from producing oil and gas through its focus on green technologies.
* Payne says it's not a good thing to treat the NSTA like a political football, and how we talk about the industry matters for attracting and retaining investment.
* Badenoch wants to rename the NSTA the "North Sea Authority" with a mandate to maximize oil and gas extraction.
* The UK has already burned most of its oil and gas, according to environmental campaign group Uplift's Tessa Khan.
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