Think it's Time to Start Drilling

As it stands, more North Sea oil won’t make a difference to the cost of energy (including petrol) in the UK. What we pay is subject to international oil and gas prices. More NS oil & gas only makes more profits for the international companies that extract it - we’ll still be paying the same energy prices.

Agree. I’m in Scotland and for toes SNP was all “it’s Scotland’s oil” now they want net bloody zero. It’s the only thing I agree with Trump about.

I think we should be doing what China does - use fossil fuels we have and import as needed and push really hard on renewables.

We are currently building one of the world biggest wind farms on dogger island in conjuction with some other countries. We've just opened our first geothermal electricity plant in Cornwall. It's not like we aren't pushing forward with alternatives to fossil fuels.

Renewables and better energy storage is clearly the way forward - but it is a transition phase and pushing more of the UK population into fuel poverty and crippling what left of our industry with high energy costs is creating a huge backlash against green energy.

Frankly I think more pragmaticsm is needed from UK government with energy more generally - not that I think we can ramp up north sea oil production for this crisis.

If it's too expensive and not worth producing why do businesses keep wanting to develop fields like Rosebank ?

Companies want to develop Rosebank because it will be profitable in the long term. Not anywhere near as profitable as Ghawar, but still profitable.

Unfortunately planning for big developments in the UK is a complete dogs breakfast. Which is why they are struggling to go ahead.

Meanwhile nuclear is taking forever with balloning costs and wind is struggling to install fast enough. You can see this in farms like Dogger Bank B, where they have installed a lot of the foundations and associated infrastructure but can't get the turbines in.

No. We have a huge coastline and enough wind and sun to generate power, oil is not the answer

Our oil is very expensive to produce compared to the Arab oil, normally we are priced out of the market and our oil is more expensive for us than buying it on the open market. Once every x years conditions like this happen and our oil would be a competitive price for a short while but in between times it's just not worth producing and you can't just leave the infrastructure out in the North Sea unused it needs constant maintenance and repair.

We have huge amounts of potential electric power from water falls and tidal movements, wind and solar power these are what we should be putting money into in the long term.

No. Stop using oil as it's a finite resource. And allow the technology and scale or renewable energy to be a viable long term alternative.

But they won't. They'll just keep bleeding the place dry with no proper plan B and they don't give a fuck because money and greed.

Are you volunteering to get your garden fracked?

We need to do both. Oil and renewables.
Windmills and solar need to be at sea/on warehouses/carparks/all new builds, not taking up food producing land which is the next crisis we are blundering towards.

We have solar panels, which are great in summer. I can often do the laundry, dishwasher and general household electricity for not much more than the standing charge in the lighter months. But October to February are when we use the most electricity and generate not much more than bugger all. Shame we can't fit a wond turbine in the back garden!

But there are so many roofs that could have some kind of power sharing plan if the companies could use them. Much better than panelling up the countryside.

Fundamentally there is a lack of understanding in how energy markets and production works.

Oil production firstly we don't have the processing capability for heavy crude it has to go to other refineries elsewhere before coming back to the UK.

Gas is a different story and there are reserves available but it takes years to get to production. Some fields can increase current output but there is a element of assessments required first.
The UK is heavily reliant on gas it can make up to 50% of electricity output in certain conditions when renewable output drops. Storage of renewable energy is very difficult and requires acres upon acres. It's why I find it amusing when someone tells me they are 100% green and have an electric car!

There's also a lack of understanding of what the govt has said its no new licences it's not no drilling. Any licences held by a company can apply to drill and drilling operations are occurring.

There is no quick fix in any energy production oil and gas or renewable. It needs careful balance and transition over time.

I don’t think you understand how it all works.

Do people honestly believe that we can just drill more and hey presto we have oil? It’s beyond economic margins ie too expensive to drill, it is not an immediate process and we sold our rights to it anyway. Norway didn’t.

Well said @GasPanic

Well the fact that it takes about 10 years to bring a new oil field on stream means that there will probably be about 5 wars and consequent ups and downs in the oil price by the time we actually get the oil.

Oil production in the UK isn't something you can ramp up and down on a sixpence.

Which is why we need to be continuously investing in oil production all the time - not as much as we have been doing as renewables replace the oil. But we at least need to keep some investment going.

At the moment pretty much all investment is being curtailed which means at some point production will drop off a cliff. I am pretty confident at some point that's going to lead to some severe resiliance issues. At which point all the green proponents of "don't drill for any more oil" will quietly disappear, and everyone will start complaining about the government, it's lack of planning and "what they are doing about it".

This is why energy planning by popular public opinion is a bad idea.

Yep we need both.

You fundamentally misunderstand the international oil markets.

This crisis is part of the violent end of the oil age. We need to get off it ASAP.

Our biggest mistake was failing to build a huge nuclear energy capacity. We should fix that right now.

We need to go for much more solar, wind and geothermal power. Dependence on oil is suicidal.

Renewables and nuclear provide about 30% of our electricity - but up to 70% at times.

We literally live on a windy island. Why people don't get the arguments for investing more in renewables baffles me. It's a huge industry ripe for setting up a generation of careers and long-term energy security.

If Reform get in and scrap our renewables programme we will be entirely reliant on other countries for our energy security. It's madness.

Even if we were to drill, the oil would be sold on the international markets. It's not going to be for UK use only.

On the contrary, it should be a real wake up call to get away from our incredibly dangerous and short sighted reliance on fossil fuels.

Spain has invested heavily in renewables and look how it's paying off for them now.

https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/a6ba47a3-62d5-4da8-a92f-ff304c8dc667

if we can’t afford renewables we certainly can’t afford oil !

and the amount the uk would produce won’t make a dint in the current oil price

naive

Why don’t we just put a bit more renewables in ?

use this as motivation to sort out a greener lifestyle ?

reaching net zero fast is actually a lot prettier than the alternative. Got to love this winter - thanks climate change

drilling only buys you a little time anyway. It’s expensive and dirty and the fuel kills people but hey? You would rather pay for that now and then pay for renewables later? Why pay more ?