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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent

UK to defy net zero targets with more oil and gas drilling

Kwasi Kwarteng speaking at COP26
Kwasi Kwarteng speaking at COP26 last year. The business secretary is expected to present North Sea oil and gas as lower carbon than imported gas. Photograph: Dominika Zarzycka/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock

The UK government is set to order more drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea in defiance of its own net zero targets, while neglecting alternative measures that experts say would provide much quicker relief from high energy bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions instead of raising them.

The energy security strategy to be unveiled on Thursday will acknowledge the need to move away from fossil fuels, the Guardian understands, but still allow for licences to explore new oil and gas fields to be expedited and more production from existing North Sea fields.

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