Well, this is the received wisdom from a large number of sources that AI collated Maremia.
Drilling more oil fields in the North Sea is generally considered not cost-effective for lowering consumer energy bills or strengthening long-term UK energy security. While it may provide tax revenue and short-term supply during price surges, the mature basin’s high extraction costs (around
$65/barrel) and global pricing mechanisms mean it cannot significantly reduce costs.
Channel 4
+5
Impact on Bills: Experts, including the Climate Change Committee (CCC), state that increased North Sea extraction will not materially affect energy prices because they are set on the global market.
Energy Security: Projections indicate that even with new drilling, the UK's dependence on imported gas will likely rise, exceeding 90% by 2050.
Production Costs: The North Sea is a mature, declining basin, making it more expensive to extract remaining resources compared to other regions.
Profitability: While potentially profitable at high oil prices (
>$70/pb), the high break-even costs create risks if prices drop.
Uplift UK
+4
While some supporters argue that new drilling keeps tax revenue within the UK—potentially offering marginal support for household bills—the consensus from environmental and energy experts is that it does not provide cost-effective energy independence.
Uplift UK
+2
I’m no expert, but to my mind it would be better to ride out the current crisis and invest more into renewables for the future (but then, as a woke leftie no doubt I would say that….)