The climate freaks in the UK government now headed by DEI hire Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero is Miatta Fahnbulleh, who was appointed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham on 20 July 2026. She succeeded Ed Miliband, who was promoted to Foreign Secretary. Ahe has even more extreme and flawed views in climate change than ‘Mad Ed’.
(100) Very few people will have any clue as to the character of a descendant of Liberian refugees who has been appointed to succeed ‘Mad Ed’ Miliband as the UK’s ‘Net Zero’ minister
She has also been completely silent on policy since her appointment.
She is in the camp that seeks to ban all exploration for potential North Se oil and gas. She has the view that already discovered oil and gas fields have been fully exploited aith no reserves left.
This of course is flawed logic. Norway has been discovering new fields over the last 5 years. From Brave AI:
“Norway discovered a total of approximately 771 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe) over the last five years (2021–2025).
“Norway has discovered a total of 21 new oil and gas fields in 2025.
Looking at the broader five-year period from 2019 to 2023, exploration activity nearly halved compared to the previous five years. During this span, 18 wildcat wells were drilled, resulting in only 8 discoveries.
- 2025: 21 new discoveries were made (11 in the North Sea, 5 in the Norwegian Sea, and 5 in the Barents Sea).
- 2019–2023: 8 discoveries were made from 18 wildcat wells, including 1 in 2023.
The discovery volumes for the most recent years are:
- 2025: 424 million boe (67 million standard cubic meters o.e.), the highest in several years, driven by the Omega Alfa and Kjøttkake fields.
- 2024: 252 million boe, a 24% decline from 2023 despite a higher number of exploration wells.
- 2023: 315 million boe (preliminary estimate published in 2024).
For 2021 and 2022, specific total discovery volumes are not provided in the current search context, though 2025 is noted as the best exploration year in ten years (excluding 2021).
These reserves may or may not be duplicated in UK territorial water to the same or larger degrees.
The point is, the UK government has banned exploring for these possible new fields.
What about existing North Sea oil and gas?
Again from Brave AI:
“The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) estimates that the UK has 2.9 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) in proven and probable reserves remaining as of the end of 2024. Additionally, there are significant amounts of resources that are not yet classified as reserves: 6.2 billion boe in contingent resources (discovered but undeveloped) and 4.6 billion boe in prospective resources (undiscovered).
- Total Recoverable Potential: Industry analysis by Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) suggests that up to 7.5 billion boe could be extracted in a “no constraints” scenario, though this is considered beyond realistic assumptions given current investor sentiment.
- Production Context: Since drilling began in the 1960s, 47.7 billion boe have been produced. Analysis indicates that 93% of the oil and gas likely to be produced from the North Sea has already been extracted.
- Decline Trajectory: Production peaked in 1999 and has since fallen by over 65%. Government predictions suggest output will continue to decline, potentially falling to 3% of peak levels by 2050.
93% of oil and gas has already been extracted! Precise numbers! Really?
“North Sea gas production currently supplies approximately 47.5% of the UK’s total gas demand (2025 data), while North Sea oil accounts for the majority of the UK’s domestic oil supply, though the UK imports roughly 95% of its oil-based fuels at some stage of the supply chain.
- Gas: In 2025, North Sea sites produced enough gas to meet 47.5% of UK demand, a significant decline from the peak in 2000 when production was much higher.
- Oil: UK oil output in 2025 was 77% lower than the 1999 peak, equating to roughly 55% of UK oil-based fuel use.
- Production Trend: Production peaked in 1999 and has since fallen by more than 65%, with projections indicating a continued steep decline toward 2030.
- Import Dependency: Despite domestic production, the UK relies heavily on imports, with Norway being the primary supplier for imported gas via pipelines.
How much potential oil and gas reserves exist on the Norths Sea continental shelf?
“Estimates for undiscovered and contingent oil and gas resources in the North Sea vary by source and classification, but generally fall between 3.75 billion and 7.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE).
UK Continental Shelf (UKCS)
- Undiscovered Resources: The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) estimates 4.6 billion BOE of prospective (undiscovered) resources as of 2026. An earlier NSTA report cited 3.75 billion BOE as untapped.
- Contingent Resources: There are an estimated 6.2 billion BOE of contingent resources (known but not yet commercially viable) in the UKCS.
- Total Potential: Combining these, industry analyses suggest up to 7.5 billion BOE remains untapped in UK waters, with some projections ranging up to 15.8 billion BOE when including all discovered and undiscovered potential.
Norwegian Continental Shelf
- Undiscovered: The Norwegian Offshore Directorate estimates 545 million Sm³ (standard cubic meters) of oil equivalents in the North Sea region alone, with the majority of undiscovered resources located in the less-explored Barents Sea.
Key Context
- Declining Reserves: Production peaked in 2000, and reserves are declining by approximately 10% annually.
- Economic Viability: Recent discoveries are smaller and harder to extract, requiring significant investment to mature contingent resources into recoverable reserves.
- Political Debate: The UK government currently bans new oil and gas licenses, while opposition figures argue that unlocking these resources is critical for energy security and economic value.
How much does the North Sea generate in revenue for the UK Exchequer?
“UK North Sea tax revenue has declined significantly from its peak, falling to £4.6 billion in the 2024/25 fiscal year, down from £9.9 billion in 2022/23.
This revenue is generated through a combination of offshore corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax, licence fees, and the Energy Profits Levy (EPL), with the EPL contributing the largest share in recent years.
The current fiscal regime imposes a combined headline tax rate of 78% on profits, comprising a 30% ring-fenced corporation tax, a 10% supplementary charge, and a 38% EPL.
However, the net revenue is often lower due to substantial tax reliefs, particularly for decommissioning and capital expenditure, which can result in negative receipts for specific tax streams like petroleum revenue tax.
The EPL is scheduled to end in March 2030, after which a new permanent regime is expected to take effect, though it may cease earlier if energy prices fall below preset thresholds under the Energy Security Investment Mechanism.
Looking forward, the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts that UK oil and gas revenues will drop further to £2.7 billion in the 2025/26 fiscal year, reflecting the depletion of reserves and falling production volumes.
Recent analysis suggests that while new fields like Rosebank may generate billions over their lifetimes, their annual contribution to the Treasury is marginal compared to total UK tax receipts, and decommissioning costs further reduce the net financial benefit to the exchequer.
Th stance of the UK government is analogous to possessing warehouses full of grain and denying the grain to a starving population. It is criminal and callous.
There are dozens of companies tht are willing to riks PRIVATE capital (not tax payers money) in pursuit of NEW oil and gas fields:
“76 companies applied for exploration and production licenses in the North Sea during the 33rd Oil and Gas Licensing Round.
- The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) received 115 bids from these 76 companies when the application window closed in January 2023.
- This represented the highest participation in a licensing round since the introduction of Innovate Licences in the 29th Round (2016/17).
- The applications covered 258 blocks and part-blocks out of the 931 available in the round that began in October 2022.
Talk about sheer ,insane bloody-mindedness and utter stupidity!!!
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