MediaResponding to new oil and gas licencing legislation proposed in the King’s Speech, Sam Richards from pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade, said:
“Including new legislation to mandate annual North Sea oil and gas licensing rounds in the King’s Speech is little more than political posturing that is unlikely to increase domestic oil and gas production.
“Rather than wasting time trying to create political dividing lines, the Prime Minister should be going hell for leather to speed up the building of new sources of clean energy.
“We urgently need to slash the time it takes to build offshore wind farms, get spades in the ground for new onshore wind turbines, speed up new grid connections and build a new generation of both large and small nuclear power stations.
“Britain hasn’t even got out of the starting blocks when it comes to small modular reactors. While the US has an approved design and SMRs are being built in China and Poland, we don’t even know where these new mini nuclear plants will be allowed to be built.
“Government urgently needs to spend more time working on getting more new nuclear built, and less time on political games.”