More than 100 licences are expected to be granted for new fossil fuel exploration in the North Sea.
By Jonah FisherThe UK has opened a new licensing round for companies to explore for oil and gas in the North Sea.Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg says the new exploration will boost energy security and support skilled jobs.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , the global body for climate science and the International Energy Agency both say that there can be no new fossil fuel projects if there is to be any chance of keeping global temperature rises under 1.5C.Supporters of new exploration insist it is compatible with the government's legal commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The licensing process will be fast-tracked in parts of the North Sea that are near existing infrastructure and so have the potential to be developed quickly, according to the North Sea Transition Authority. It says the average time between discovery and first production is close to five years but that gap is shrinking.
"This government's energy policy benefits fossil fuel companies and no-one else," said Philip Evans, energy transition campaigner for Greenpeace UK.
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