Britain will grant more than 100 new oil and gas exploration licenses in the North Sea as part of an effort to increase domestic energy supplies and reduce reliance on imports, the government announced Monday.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the licenses would support energy security, reduce dependence on hostile nations, boost jobs in the sector and cut emissions compared to importing liquified natural gas.
"As the UK is a rapidly declining producer of oil and gas, new licenses reduce the fall in UK supply...so that the UK remains on track to meet net zero by 2050," the government said.
The new licenses, which will face climate compatibility tests, are expected to be awarded this fall and could tap into existing infrastructure to accelerate production.
Sunak is promoting the new licenses to highlight differences with the opposition Labour Party which has pledged to stop issuing exploration permits in the North Sea.
The government also announced plans to establish two new carbon capture storage clusters in Scotland and northern England.
