MPs Demand More Help for North Sea Workers as UK Shifts to Renewables

Wednesday 23rd April, London – Cross party MPs have this morning called on the government to do more to support North Sea oil and gas workers, as the UK transitions away from fossil fuels to renewable energy production. 

Speaking during a Parliamentary debate on the issue, MPs from across parties affirmed that renewable energy, not more oil and gas drilling, would provide the UK with reliable, affordable energy in future – a point the Prime Minister is also anticipated to make in a speech to the world’s energy ministers tomorrow. 

MPs, however, are demanding the government does more to ensure the transition is fair to the current North Sea workforce by creating enough good clean energy jobs in the UK and supporting oil and gas workers into these roles, something that previous governments have failed to do. 

Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for Brent West said:

“The government must be bold and turn the dial for North Sea communities. For 14 long years there has been no plan, just job losses upon job losses as the oil and gas declined. We can only make Britain a clean energy superpower if we engage with these workers now and graft their incredible engineering skills into secure new clean jobs in the renewables sector. A just transition must be more than a soundbite.”

Keir Starmer is due to speak tomorrow at the start of a two-day energy security summit in London co-hosted by the UK government and the International Energy Agency. Coinciding with the summit, a one million strong petition will be handed into 10 Downing Street later today, calling for an end to new oil and gas drilling in the UK.

The North Sea’s transition away from oil and gas production is already well underway, with jobs supported by the industry more than halving over the past decade as the basin declines.

Responding to the debate, Energy Minister, Michael Shanks said:
“The truth is we should have been planning for this transition a long time ago… There is no greater example of the failure to plan when we knew years ago that Grangemouth was in a precarious position. We should have been planning at that point for the workforce. My driving purpose in this role is to make sure we don’t make the same mistake again in the wider North Sea sector.”

MPs also called on the government to prioritise the needs of workers and communities in the transition, rather than the narrow interests of private oil and gas companies.

Carla Denyer, Co-Leader of The Green Party and MP for Bristol Central commented:

“Whilst oil and gas companies lobby for lower taxes and more drilling to boost their own profits, workers and communities are bearing the brunt of a disorderly transition. In a declining basin, last-ditch attempts to double down on new oil and gas will not provide workers with the long-term security they deserve. 

“It is high time the government stops betting on the private sector to do the right thing and starts delivering in the interests of workers, communities and the country as a whole. That means stopping the expansion of new oil and gas, investing in good quality renewable energy jobs and putting workers and local communities at the heart of transition planning.”

Pippa Heylings, Liberal Democrat MP for South Cambridgeshire commented:

“Where past governments have failed to deliver a fair energy transition, this one must lead. Now more than ever, this government must rise to the challenge and strengthen our home-grown energy security – the future of UK jobs, affordable energy and a healthy climate hangs in the balance.” 

Currently, the average North Sea turbine contains three times as much material from abroad as from the UK. As a result, the rapid growth of UK offshore wind – which currently accounts for more than a fifth of global offshore wind capacity – has not fully delivered promised local jobs or prosperity.

The UK government is undertaking to transition the North Sea from oil and gas production to clean energy generation, and is currently consulting on how to ensure this delivers good, long-term jobs, growth and investment in communities. 

Campaigners are calling on the government to grasp the huge opportunity to build out a domestic wind manufacturing sector in the UK, and invest in ports to enable this, as well as set up a dedicated training fund for offshore oil and gas workers.