Uplift supports efforts to create a rapid and fair transition away from oil and gas production in the UK

Ahead of the King’s Speech, this briefing sets out why the government must use this opportunity to kickstart the legislative reforms required for a just transition away from oil and gas towards clean energy.

Today the oil and gas regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority, has announced the offer of 31 oil and gas licences under the 33rd oil and gas licensing round. The round was opened in October 2022 under Liz Truss’s government as part of its ‘dash for gas’. New licences add virtually nothing to the UK’s energy supply and do nothing to lower energy bills.

The UK’s transition away from oil and gas production is already well underway. But for all the talk of a ‘just transition’, the UK lacks a coherent plan for making sure that the workers and communities dependent on the oil and gas sector benefit from the North Sea’s shift to clean energy. This report looks at the current failed plan and shows what is needed to kick-start a fair transition.