Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh has confirmed that oil and gas will remain a part of the energy mix, but said nothing about the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields being part of that future.
After avoiding the media during a visit to Aberdeen, she issued a government video in which she declared her support for a mixed source of energy.
“This part of the world has been at the very heart of home grown energy for the UK and it must continue to be the case,” she said after a private meeting with industry leaders in the city.
“We need to make sure we are building renewables and building nuclear, but we also are really clear that oil and gas will be part of our energy mix for years to come.”
Amid concerns that she has previously opposed more drilling in the North Sea, she offered some assurance that she was listening to the industry and its supporters.
“The key bit for me, and the message I’ve heard, is we are sustaining and we are creating good jobs that pay a wage that people can raise a family on,” she said.
“If we get that right we will ensure we are breathing life into this community and ensuring it plays a vital role in our energy system. It has in the past and it absolutely must do in the future.”
Harriet Cross, the Tory MP for Gordon and Buchan, who has been a vocal supporter of oil & gas, welcomed Ms Fahnbulleh’s visit, but described her as “the new Ed Miliband” who had been regarded as hostile to the sector.
She said it was “good that she is listening” but added: “Now is the time to act. Labour has had two years to listen but all their decisions have done is made things worse.”
The industry is facing a “crisis of confidence”, she said, and urged Ms Fahnbulleh to lift the ban on new licences and end the energy profits levy which is seen as a barrier to investment.
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