Call for input on North Sea’s clean energy future
IOM3 invites responses on UK government plans to make the North Sea central to Britain’s clean energy future.
The Department for Energy Security and Net-Zero, along with His Majesty’s Treasury, has launched a consultation on plans to transform the North Sea into a hub for offshore clean energy industries, including hydrogen, wind, and carbon capture. The plan comes following the government’s commitment to maintain existing oil and gas fields for their lifetime, while not issuing licences to explore new fields and to work with businesses and communities to manage this transition.
The overarching objective of the government’s plan is to foster an internationally-leading offshore clean energy industry, which ensures good, long-term jobs, growth and investment in communities across the North Sea, in tandem with a sustainable transition in oil and gas. This ambition is underpinned by two supporting objectives: 1) to ensure oil and gas workers and supply chains can take advantage of the opportunities of the clean energy transition, and 2) to take a globally standard-setting, 1.5°C and climate science-aligned approach to future oil and gas production.
In line with these aims, the government has proposed reforms to the North Sea Transition Authority, to ensure that it has the regulatory framework needed to enable an orderly transition to clean energy. This includes revising the authority’s principle objective to reflect its stewardship role and expanding the authority’s powers to include areas such as decommissioning of oil and gas and dispute resolution.
The government is inviting input on the plan, including on the following questions:
- What role can government play to ensure that local workers can benefit from the growth of new clean energy sectors in the North Sea?
- What, if any, additional measures could help the oil and gas workforce to transition into a) clean energy and b) other industrial strategy sectors?
- What support is required for oil and gas workers to transition into low carbon sectors that align with the UK’s longer-term environmental and economic ambitions?
- Do you think the UK has a sufficient skills base to underpin the transition? What role will the oil and gas sector play in the availability of critical skills?
- How can the government enhance diversity within the clean energy sector?
- Which parts of the oil and gas industry supply chain do you think will be most affected by the transition, and what impacts will it have on the workers within those businesses?
- What potential barriers exist for current oil and gas supply chains to transition to alternative sectors?
- Do you think that UK supply chain companies will be competitive in accessing growing clean energy sectors in the North Sea? What role can government play in supporting them?
- Where do you see the main opportunities in a) offshore wind b) floating offshore wind, c) CCUS (T&S) d) hydrogen e) decommissioning for the oil and gas supply chain?
- What are your views on the ideas for reforms to the North Sea Transition Authority’s powers?
You can read the full consultation and the list of questions on the consultation page.
IOM3 is seeking input on any or all questions in the consultation. Your comments are not limited to those outlined above.If you'd like to contribute, please contact Policy Officer, Aoife Burke at [email protected] by Sunday 13 April 2025.
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