JAKARTA - Support for additional oil and gas production in the North Sea now comes from the British green energy figurehead himself. Quoted from The Guardian, Wednesday, March 25, the boss of Great British Energy, Jürgen Maier, assessed that production from existing fields still needed to be maintained because it could provide economic benefits and give time for supply chains to switch to renewable energy.
Based on a report by The Guardian, this attitude emerged when the British government faced a surge in energy costs due to the turmoil of the war in the Middle East. Gas prices in the UK have reportedly more than doubled in less than a month.
In a post on LinkedIn, Maier rejected the notion that additional North Sea oil and gas production would immediately reduce energy costs. However, he said the move was still important from an economic point of view. Production from existing fields is considered to maintain employment, increase tax revenue, and give supply chain companies time to adapt to the energy transition.
Maier said the utilization of existing fields, including new reserves that can still be connected to old infrastructure, is in line with a gradual managed energy transition approach. Even so, he then emphasized that he still supports the government's ban on new exploration permits for oil and gas fields.
Similar views have also come from a number of other renewable energy figures. Still from The Guardian, RenewableUK's new chief executive, Tara Singh, said Britain needed to produce more energy "of all kinds". Meanwhile, the boss of Octopus Energy, Greg Jackson, said Britain needed more energy supplies from within the country and a "practical and pragmatic" decision.
"Ideology, wishful thinking, nostalgia, and cultural warfare do not provide real solutions. We must make use of what is available from the North Sea," said Jackson.
The British government has refused to grant new permits for the aging North Sea oil and gas region. However, officials and ministers are still reviewing two large fields, Rosebank and Jackdaw, whose permits were granted by the previous government. Industry players estimate that the two projects could receive approval in the next few weeks.
Amid industry pressure, the government has stressed that new production will not automatically provide energy security or reduce bills. "Issuing new permits to explore new fields cannot give us energy security and will not cut energy bills at all," a government spokesman said, quoted by The Guardian.
Because the price of oil and gas is still formed by the international market, the government considers the new permit not the answer to the surge in energy bills. Even so, the insistence on maximizing existing fields continues to strengthen amid the energy cost crisis.
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