Will Britain find an energy treasure in the North Sea that sings it from Russian gas?  

LONDON - 

The British government is racing against time to increase its production of oil and gas, and end dependence on Russian oil and gas. To achieve this goal, the government's interest in the North Sea has returned, to exploration for gas again.

Although the United Kingdom is one of the European countries least dependent on oil and gas from Russia, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his country's intention to permanently close the door to Russian energy exports.

Immediately after the North Sea Exploration Licensing Authority announced its intention to issue new licenses for gas exploration, expectations were mixed about the ability of the North Sea reserves to cover gas needs in the event that it was not imported from Russia.

treasure of gas

In his statement to the British Financial Times, the head of the licensing authority for exploration in the North Sea revealed the authority's intention to allow companies to explore for gas in the North Sea again, after it stopped granting licenses since 2020.

The British Authority presents an optimistic picture of the discoveries that can be found in the North Sea, stressing that it has prepared the license for more than one field and is expected to start exploration work during this year.

This decision coincides with anticipation for the British government's announcement of a new energy strategy, aimed at strengthening the country's energy independence, and making the local market immune to any external fluctuations in the energy market.

Last year, Britain succeeded in producing 40% of its gas needs through its local sources, and in return it imports 8% of its oil needs and 4% of its gas from Russia, which means that the Kingdom is able to cover Russian exports.

Dream or reality?

The British government is trying to defend the ability of the North Sea to provide more gas and oil for the country, in order to respond to the concerns of environmentalists who say that the North Sea is one of the most mature basins in the world due to its extensive exploitation, and that its annual decline rate ranges between 5% to 7 %.

As for the warnings of some scientists, they confirm that the process of exploration and production, if gas or oil is found, may take years. Nevertheless, there are oil companies that are motivated to start the exploration process, led by the British oil giant, BP.

The British government is trying to allay the fears of environmental advocates, that the new energy strategy will ensure a better handling of drilling operations, but in return it gives powers to bypass any environmental precautions in the event that the country's energy security is at risk.

No red lines

Among the techniques that the British government is moving to return to to increase gas production is a technique called “hydraulic fracturing”, a technology based on cracking rocks to stimulate the rise of gas or oil, and this technology has been banned in Britain since 2019 because it may lead to pollution of ground and surface waters.

It appears that the current circumstance, marked by Britain's desire to increase its dependence on its energy sources, prompted it to retreat from many of the red lines.

Attractive numbers

Oil and gas companies in Britain provide many tempting numbers to motivate the British government to launch exploration operations again, and the representative body for oil and gas exploration companies in Britain (UKOOG) confirms that the country has important reserves of shale gas that will provide the United Kingdom with all its gas needs for a period of time. The next 50 years will be when only 10% of the expected reserves are found, according to what a source of representatives of exploration companies told the British press.

The estimates of the North Sea Drilling Regulatory Authority indicate that there are 4.4 billion barrels of oil under the waters of the United Kingdom, with the possibility of 10 billion in reserves that are difficult to prove, and will have an impact on strengthening the country's energy security.

Nuclear and wind

Britain is one of the leading countries in producing energy from clean sources, especially from wind energy. The Kingdom has developed a plan to raise wind energy production fourfold to reach 40 gigawatts by 2030, but there are stumbling blocks in some projects that may delay achieving this goal.

The British government is trying to remedy the decision to abandon nuclear plants that previously provided the country with a fifth of its energy needs, and it is expected that all six nuclear plants will be out of service by 2030, which means that the total nuclear production will reach 4.45 gigawatts, which is half the production compared to the beginning of the decade Present.

Britain does not want to enter into competition with the Europeans - who are most in need of Russian gas and oil - for alternative markets, whether in the Gulf or the United States, and for this reason it seeks to increase its dependence on its domestic production of energy.