Hundreds of North Sea licences granted by Conservatives have ‘so far produced only 36 days worth of gas’
Hundreds of licences granted for new oil and gas projects in the North Sea under the Conservatives have so far produced only 36 days’ worth of gas, according to analysis.Research by the energy consultancy Voar and the campaign group Uplift found that between 2010 and 2024, the government handed out hundreds of new North Sea oil and gas licences in seven licensing rounds.This led to 20 new and relicensed fields that have the potential, over their lifetime, to produce enough gas to supply the UK for only six months.To date they have produced the equivalent of 36 days of extra gas.The findings cast doubt on claims by Reform UK and the Conservatives that new drilling licences in the North Sea would help to reduce energy bills and boost the UK’s energy security.
Tessa Khan, the executive director of Uplift, said rightwing politicians and the oil and gas industry were trying to mislead the public.“Some politicians are trying to sell us a dangerous fantasy of endless gas reserves, when the truth is – after 50 years of drilling – we have already burned most of it,” Khan said.“A month’s worth of gas from 14 years of licensing by the last government shows the complete folly of pursuing this policy.It’s barely enough gas to last from now until May Day.”A rise in energy prices caused by the US-Israeli war in Iran has intensified the debate over how to ensure the UK has a reliable supply of affordable energy.
Labour’s decision to ban new oil and gas licensing and focus instead on homegrown renewable energy has been welcomed by many economists and climate experts.However, it has come under repeated attack from Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage in recent weeks.The Reform leader called on the prime minister to “open up the licences, and become self-sufficient in natural gas”.Badenoch claimed: “Drilling in the North Sea and expanding other sources of generation … is the only way we can protect families from rising bills.”However, experts say the North Sea is a “mature basin” whose output has declined by 75% since its peak.
They say 90% of its reserves have gone,New licences would have no impact on bills because the price is set by the international markets,Official data shows new licences would have a minimal impact on the UK’s dependency on imported gas,Instead, campaigners say a more effective way to achieve energy security for Britain would be to double down on renewable energy and implement a mass programme of home improvements, from better insulation to installing heat pumps,Khan said: “New drilling would not take a penny off our bills, something even the industry has conceded.
The only way to insulate ourselves from oil shocks is to double down on renewables and upgrade homes, so we can free ourselves from fossil fuels.This is just common sense in today’s world.”Jess Ralston, the head of energy at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said issuing more licences would be a “sticking plaster” that would not help British consumers.“The reality is that we’ve drained dry around 90% of oil and gas there,” Ralston said.“To stop the UK being so vulnerable to energy crises, often sparked by war, lowering fossil fuel demand through electric vehicles, heat pumps and renewables remains the most credible long-term solution.
”The Conservatives have been contacted for comment,
Bristol’s Big Day Out turns sour as Harlequins and Isgró spoil the party
In theory Bristol’s Big Day Out concept in Cardiff had all the right ingredients. Here was a chance to attract a few more floating voters and show them a good time in one of the world’s great stadiums. For the Prem as a whole it also massages the league’s aggregate attendance figures and projects the sense of a tournament growing steadily bigger and better.So much for best-laid plans. The attendance was about 6,000 fewer than the club’s previous game in Cardiff last season and the outcome also did nothing for Bristolian blood pressure as the Bears suffered a serious dent to their playoff chances at the hands of a Harlequins side winless in their previous six matches
‘I want to follow in Bannister’s footsteps’: Josh Kerr gunning for world mile landmark
It is, says Josh Kerr, a moment that makes the hairs on the back of his neck tingle every time he watches it. We are talking about Roger Bannister, his body taut then spent, falling into a crowd of well-wishers on a cinder track in Oxford in 1954 having become the first person in history to break the four-minute mile barrier. “That’s what I live for,” Kerr says, with the broadest of smiles.And then comes the grand reveal. Because at the London Diamond League in July, Kerr intends to stand on the shoulders of track and field’s giants – such as Bannister, the Australian Herb Elliott, Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett – by breaking the mile world record
Ilia Malinin completes redemption arc with third straight world figure skating championship
Ilia Malinin claimed a third straight world figure skating championship on Saturday afternoon, completing a swift redemption a month after his shock Olympic collapse with a commanding free skate.The 21-year-old American entered the final at Prague’s O2 Arena with a commanding lead after Thursday’s short program, where his personal-best 111.29 had put him more than nine points clear of the field. This time, there would be no unraveling.Skating last, Malinin produced a free program of 218
Lachie Kennedy upstages Gout Gout to win 200m at Peter Norman Memorial
Gout Gout has a problem and his name is Lachie Kennedy. In another enthralling evening in Australian athletics, the superstar teenager was once again upstaged by his fellow Queenslander, at the Maurie Plant Meet on Saturday.Under pouring rain at Lakeside Stadium in front of close to 9,000 fans, Kennedy held off the fast-finishing Gout in the Peter Norman Memorial 200m. The result was a replay of last year in a race that is now the clear highlight of the Australian athletics season.“Today he got the win, but next time I’ll be better for sure,” Gout said after crossing the line second, five hundredths of a second behind the winner
Illinois imposes alcohol limits near campus with Final Four berth at stake
Officials in Champaign have imposed temporary alcohol restrictions around the University of Illinois campus ahead of Saturday night’s Elite Eight game between Illinois Fighting Illini and Iowa Hawkeyes, citing public safety concerns tied to anticipated postgame celebrations.The emergency order, issued by mayor Deborah Frank Feinen, requires bars in a designated campus area to serve alcohol only in plastic, paper or aluminum containers during a set period before and after the game. Sales of packaged liquor and cocktails-to-go will be restricted after tipoff, while alcohol deliveries into and out of the area will be temporarily prohibited.The order also bars licensed establishments from selling more than one keg of beer to a single customer.City officials said the measures are intended to reduce the risk of injury or property damage in crowded areas
Featherstone’s long and quiet Sundays in a rugby league town that lost its soul
Club’s financial crisis meant exclusion from the RFL Championship this season, and it could be a long way back for one of the sport’s storied namesSunday afternoon in Featherstone. The first shoots of spring are creaking through the skyline and the Railway pub is bustling with rugby league supporters as the town’s pride and joy, Featherstone Rovers, prepare to face Swinton Lions.Or at least, that is what should have happened last weekend. Instead, streets of this West Yorkshire town built on coal mining were deserted. The Railway, just a few hundred yards from Rovers’ Post Office Road home, was largely empty and the gates of the stadium chained shut
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