Boris Johnson is to announce plans to exploit new areas of the North Sea for oil and gas reserves for the first time in three years amid spiralling energy prices after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The prime minister announced yesterday that the government was drawing up proposals to intensify Britain’s energy self-reliance by boosting the deployment of renewable electricity and “using more of our own hydrocarbons” in the North Sea.
The Times understands that ministers are looking to announce the first new round of exploration licences in the region since 2019.
They are also looking for regulators to give the go-ahead to “field development plans” for up to six North Sea oil and gas projects, exploiting resources that were found years ago but which still
