This consultation has concluded
Read the full outcome
North Sea Future Plan:
government response
PDF, 1.15 MB, 127
pages
Detail of outcome
The building the North Sea's energy future consultation requested
views and evidence on three aspects of the North Sea energy
transition:
- growing our North Sea clean energy industries
- the ongoing role of oil and gas production through the
transition
- supporting North Sea workers and communities to transition
Having reviewed the responses received, this North Sea Future
Plan sets out how we will achieve the government's North Sea
ambition to be an internationally-leading offshore clean energy
industry.
This includes:
- actively scaling up our North Sea clean energy industries
- delivering our commitment to cease issuing new oil and gas
licences to explore new fields
- introducing Transitional Energy Certificates to support the
commitment to help manage existing oil and gas fields for their
lifespan
- providing end-to-end support for the current workforce to
access new opportunities, including through a new North Sea Jobs
Service to match workers to secure well-paid jobs which will work
alongside the Energy Skills Passport
- reforming the North Sea Transition Authority's powers and
objectives
- developing comprehensive support for supply chain businesses
and investors, including guidance and a ‘basin-wide plan' to give
greater transparency regarding upcoming activity in the North Sea
- establishing a North Sea Future Board
Detail of feedback received
We received 375 responses to this consultation, as well as a
further 504 campaign responses and several petitions, from a wide
range of stakeholders, including:
- upstream offshore and onshore oil and gas producers
- renewable energy firms
- companies working in the CCUS and hydrogen
sectors
- academics
- trade unions
- environmental groups
- industry groups
- education providers
- community groups
- members of the public
Original consultation
Summary
We are seeking views on delivering the government's commitment to
support a prosperous and managed North Sea transition.
This consultation ran from
1:30pm on 5 March 2025 to 11:59pm on 30 April
2025
Consultation description
This government strives to drive the development of an
internationally-leading offshore clean energy industry, which
ensures good, long-term jobs, growth and investment in
communities across the North Sea – boosting the country's economy
and energy security. This consultation is a critical step in
developing the framework to support that ambition.
Responses to the consultation will support the delivery of the
government's commitment not to issue new licences to explore new
fields, whilst not revoking existing licences and partnering with
business and workers to manage our existing fields for the
entirety of their lifespan.
This consultation is aimed at the following groups:
- Oil and Gas Upstream Producer (offshore)
- Oil and Gas Upstream Producer (onshore)
- Oil and Gas Mid or Downstream Sector
- Oil and Gas Supply Chain
- Renewable Energy Producer
- Renewable Energy Supply Chain
- Energy Trader
- Energy Supplier
- Carbon Capture and Storage Sector
- Trade Union
- Trade Body or Association
- Provider of Finance
- Environmental Group
- Local community groups and/or representatives
- Academic
- Education and Skills
- Accountant / Tax Adviser
- Individual
- Other North Sea Stakeholders
Documents
Building the North Sea's Energy
Future: consultation document
PDF, 1.63 MB, 65
pages
Building the North Sea's Energy
Future: consultation document (accessible webpage)
HTML
Clean Energy job adverts
analysis: charts and methodology
