The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), which regulates North Sea oil and gas production, will confirm it is granting about 30 licences to companies to look for hydrocarbons on sites earmarked for future offshore windfarms.
The move has renewed criticism of Rishi Sunak by environmentalists, including his own former net zero tsar, who say any future oil and gas production could hamper clean energy generation. But it will give the prime minister a welcome piece of news to sell to his restive backbenchers many of whom are keen to see more oil and gas production in the North Sea-after what are set to be a bruising set of local election results.
Chris Skidmore, the former Tory MP who quit as Sunak's net zero tsar in protest at the government's climate policies, said: "With a general election just months away this is a deeply irresponsible and divisive move that goes against all advice from the IEA [International Energy Agency] or the UN, and regrettably will further set back the UK's climate reputation.
The investment should instead be in more wind and renewables. More fossil fuels will only create stranded assets and stranded jobs at a time when demand for oil and gas is falling." He added: "This is a political and cynical stunt that will only backfire ... We need to stop playing politics with climate and people's future, and take a grownup position on seeking to find consensus for an end date to new oil and gas." A spokesperson for the NSTA said:
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