London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

UK oil, gas firms to leave year's worth of output in ground with tax hikes-report

UK oil, gas firms to leave year's worth of output in ground with tax hikes-report

Windfall taxes mean oil and gas producers in the British North Sea will likely leave 500 million barrels of oil equivalent in the ground over the next decade, the equivalent of one year's output in the ageing basin, industry group OEUK said on Tuesday.

Over the past year, Britain has introduced windfall taxes on oil and gas as well as on renewables, which companies say stifles investment and in turn will likely increase Britain's dependence on imported fuels and derail its climate targets.

In the oil and gas sector, the taxes are likely to result in reduced investment of between 3 billion to 5 billion pounds ($3.67 billion to $6.12 billion) over the next decade or so, Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) market intelligence manager Ross Dornan told reporters.

This reduction in investment is expected despite a tax incentive of around 91 pence per pound spent on new hydrocarbon production, which renewables producers are also calling for in their sector.

The British North Sea produced just under 1.4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) last year, down from a peak of around 4.4 million boed in 1999.

"When we talk about investment in the UK oil and gas resources, it's not about exponential growth, it's about managed decline," Dornan said.

Britain, a net energy importer since 2004 whose energy mix last year was made up of 76% oil and gas, will likely produce 500 million barrels less hydrocarbons - "enough to support the nation for six months or (the) same as one year’s North Sea output" - due to investment cuts, according to the OEUK.

The report came as Britain's government is set to announce energy security measures on Thursday, according to industry sources, which could see changes to taxes and investment incentives for the offshore industry.

Any fresh incentives for oil producers are likely to be decried by climate activists, not least since Britain experienced an oil leak over the weekend at Anglo-French oil company Wytch Farm's onshore field in Dorset.

Britain's biggest oil and gas producer, Harbour , has announced job cuts and shunned the latest licensing round. TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) cut its UK investment programme by a quarter.

Development of what would be the world’s largest wind farm off the coast of Britain is in doubt, with Orsted ORSTED.CO saying it needs more support to proceed with the project.



Britain's oil and gas production


($1 = 0.8166 pounds)

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
×