Written question asked by Mark Logan (Conservative) on Wednesday, 6 September 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 11 September 2023. It was answered by Graham Stuart (Conservative) on Friday, 15 September 2023 on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Fossil Fuels

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to increase domestic oil and gas production.

Answer: The Government supports new licensing rounds in the North Sea to slow the decline in production from what is a mature basin while supporting industry to reduce production emissions. As reaffirmed in the Powering Up Britain Energy Security Plan, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) launched the 33rd oil and gas exploration licensing round in October last year and is expected to award the first licences from this round later this year. The Government and the NSTA have announced a joint commitment to undertake future licensing rounds, subject to a climate compatibility test.

Secondary information