The UK’s Ban on North Sea exploration threatens both the UK’S AND the EU’s energy security
Utter lunacy from ‘Crazy Eddie’ Miliband.
You will have seen the ban on North Sea oil and gas exploration being enshrined into law in the UK.
UK Moves to Ban New North Sea Oil and Gas Licences Permanently | OilPrice.com
“The UK government will introduce legislation banning new North Sea oil and gas exploration licences as part of its Energy Independence Bill.
Critics argue the policy will increase Britain’s reliance on imported fossil fuels while damaging Scotland’s oil and gas industry.
Rising oil prices and disruptions tied to the Iran conflict have intensified political pressure on Labour to reconsider the ban.”
The manic street preachers of the ‘net zero’ cult performed their ritual “clapping sel” applause for the move, honking about the depletion of North Sea oil and gas meaning “there is only a little bit of oil and gas anyway so “no big deal”.
I debunked that BS here:
(100) Myths and BS around North sea oil and wind turbine costs in the UK
There is enough oil and gas for decades. What is lacking is refinery capacity to turn the black gold into diesel, petrol/gasoline and petroleum products.
North Sea oil stocks can easily be replenished with the exploration/discovery of new fields as Norway has done.
“Norway has uncovered one of its biggest North Sea discoveries in a decade, despite Energy Secretary Ed Miliband scrapping further UK exploration.
Oil field operator Aker BP described the find as “significant”, saying it could yield 134 million barrels of oil.
“Oil field operator Aker BP described the find as “significant”, saying it could yield 134 million barrels of oil.
The discovery was made in the Yggdrasil area in the Norwegian area of the North Sea, not far from the border with British waters.
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Aker BP Ceo Karl Johnny Hersvik said it was among the “largest commercial discoveries” in Norway in the past 10 years.
He added: “Building on the momentum from the oil discovery at East Frigg in 2023, it marks a major step toward our ambition of producing more than one billion barrels from the Yggdrasil area.
“This is the result of a strong collaborative effort between our own teams and our alliance partners and a testament to how new exploration methods push the boundaries.
“We look forward to unlocking even more of the potential in this prolific area.”
Fun facts, from Brave AI:
“In 2024, the UK exported 28.3 million tonnes of primary oil and 19.0 million tonnes of petroleum products, while exporting 118.4 TWh of natural gas via pipeline.
At a conversion factor of 7.33 barrels per metric tonne, that equates to an export of 200 million barrels of oil.
“The United Kingdom exports the majority of its crude oil and refined petroleum products to Europe, with the Netherlands and Belgium being the primary destinations for both categories.
Netherlands and Belgium have the refineries and their output gets sent to the EU – and some back to the UK.
“Primary Oil: 28.3 million tonnes exported out of 31 million tonnes produced.
Petroleum Products: 19.0 million tonnes exported out of 51 million tonnes produced.
Natural Gas: 118.4 TWh exported via pipeline out of 344 TWh produced.”
The EU has significantly more demand for imports of ‘fossil fuels’ than this, but the point is two-fold.
“In 2025, the European Union imported oil products worth $268.68 billion, with a total volume of 479.6 million metric tons.”
480 MILLION METRIC TON WORKS OUT AT round 500 million barrels of oi – of which the UK’s North Sea supplies 200 million barrels or 42%.
In other words without the oil supplied by the UK’s North Sea, the EU would need to find another supplier for 42% of its needs.
1. The UK’s energy security is weakened by the exports of fossil fuels
2. the EU’s energy security is, to at least some extent, by its reliance on exports of North Sea oil and gas
The UK government impacts both by deliberately choking off the oil exploration necessary to replenish the gradual depletion of North Sea oil and gas fields.
A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ON THE uk’S OIL AND GAS EXPORTS.
“Crude Oil: Approximately 80% of North Sea oil is exported. The Netherlands is the largest buyer, receiving over 11 million metric tons in 2024, often for transshipment or refining in Rotterdam.
“Refined Products: Exports of refined fuels like petrol and diesel are heavily concentrated in the EU.
In 2024, the Netherlands was the top destination for UK refined products, followed by Belgium and the United States. T
The UK exports petrol to the US and Netherlands, and jet fuel primarily to Ireland.
The UK is contributing massive amounts of greenhouse gas consumption in the EU – how’s that sit with the EU’s “Green” lobby?
OUT OF INTEREST:
“In 2025, Norway exported 55.7 million tonnes of oil to the European Union, making it one of the EU’s top three oil import partners alongside the United States and Kazakhstan.”
That would be around 408 million barrel – around twice as much as the UK – from the same North Sea.
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