Britain will grant more than 100 new oil and gas licenses to back the North Sea oil and gas industry and be more energy independent, the government said.
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This will increase Britain's energy security and reduce dependence on higher-emission imports while protecting more than 200,000 jobs in a vital industry, it noted in a statement.
As Britain is a rapidly declining producer of oil and gas, it added that new oil and gas licenses will help reduce the fall in current supply rather than increase it above current levels so that Britain remains on track to meet net zero by 2050.
The NSTA responsible for regulating the oil, gas and carbon storage industries is currently running the 33rd offshore oil and gas licensing round. They expect the first of the new licences to be awarded in the autumn, with the round expected to award over 100 licences in total.
The Government has confirmed that projects Acorn in North East Scotland and Viking in the Humber have been chosen as the third and fourth carbon capture usage and storage clusters in the UK.
The Government has already committed to deploy CCUS in two industrial clusters by the mid-2020s – the HyNet cluster in North West England and North Wales, and the East Coast Cluster in the Teesside and Humber – and another further two clusters by 2030 – now confirmed as Acorn and Viking.
Together, these four clusters will build a new thriving carbon capture usage and storage industry, which could support up to 50,000 jobs in the UK by 2030.
The UK has one of the largest potential carbon dioxide storage capacities in Europe, making the North Sea one of the most attractive business environments for CCUS technology. ■
A low pressure wave forming along a cold front will track across the New England coast this morning, bringing a period of rain, heavy at times for much of New England, especially for Maine today.