Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) is urging government to prioritise homegrown energy in its upcoming industrial strategy or risk undermining British industry, jobs and the net zero transition.
The trade body has launched a bold new plan calling for domestic energy production to sit at the heart of national policy, arguing that we cannot build a modern, competitive economy while importing nearly 40% of energy.
In a new paper, OEUK sets out seven key steps that it says industry and government must take together to boost investment, cut costs and strengthen energy security.
Chief among them is a call to “put affordable homegrown energy production at the heart of industrial strategy.”
David Whitehouse, Chief Executive of OEUK, warned:
Decarbonisation must not mean deindustrialisation. Output in our energy intensive industries is at a 35-year low, yet our North Sea has the capability to provide all the energy it needs now and in future. In a world where we should be protecting our sovereign capabilities, that is not good enough.”
He added: “If we want to build world-leading products, grow British business, and create thousands of high-quality jobs across the UK, then we must put homegrown energy at the heart of the nation’s economic, security and climate ambitions.”
The report highlights that UK offshore energy supported 200,000 jobs and added £25 billion in value to the economy last year—more than double the car industry and five times the steel sector.
With the right backing, OEUK says the sector could deliver £200 billion of investment this decade across offshore wind, hydrogen, carbon capture and oil and gas.
Prioritising domestic energy, it claims, could unlock an extra £150 billion in economic value and secure future energy needs while still hitting climate targets.
The paper also calls for a central Offshore Energy Mission Control to co-ordinate regulation, skills and infrastructure—cutting red tape and accelerating delivery.
Other recommendations include streamlining project approvals, boosting UK supply chain resilience, driving a skills revolution and turning the North Sea into a collaborative energy hub for the UK and Europe.
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