As I write this, we have reached the mid-point of COP 26 – the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference – currently being hosted by the United Kingdom in Glasgow.
Decades of expertise and technology from the oil and gas sector is coming together with those developing renewable and low-zero sources of energy.
This is not as inconsistent as many seem to think.
The UK oil and gas sector is committed to being part of the energy transition to net zero and there remains a need for oil and gas while we reduce fossil-fuel demand and increase renewable capacity.
While demand exists – albeit declining – better to source hydrocarbons domestically than to import from overseas.
We also need to see more collaboration between Scotland’s two governments – the UK Government and the devolved administration in Edinburgh
Like we saw during the Covid-19 pandemic, we will only succeed by working together.
Part of the UK’s plans to achieve net zero includes the development of Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) – including the Acorn Project at St. Fergus.
Much has been said in response to the recent decision to award two CCUS clusters in North England, ‘track 1’ status in the sequencing round of the UK Government’s £1 billion support for CCUS.
While narrowly missing out on track 1, Acorn has been awarded ‘first reserve’ status – meaning it will be brought forward if something goes wrong with one of the two.
While I have continued working with the Acorn Project and UK Government ministers to ensure that Acorn is supported in that reserve role, SNP politicians have predictably attempted to politicise the situation.
They accuse the decision as having been politically motivated, while also seeming to suggest that the ‘Scottish Cluster’, should have been selected – merely because it was Scottish!
The developers themselves are still projecting that the site could be operational by 2026 and the UK Government has committed – on top of £31 million already invested – to help with the continued development and planning of the project.
Despite what the SNP gleefully report as, ‘abandonment’ and ‘rejection’, Acorn is still very much key to the UK Government’s CCUS objectives of capturing 20 – 30 MT CO2 by 2030.
I was pleased to see the release of the Macduff Shellfish owned scalloper – Cornelis Gert Jan – and her crew after being detained by French Authorities.
I was also glad the French Government backed down last week from carrying out their unwarranted threats of blockades and restrictions to UK fishermen and exporters – not to mention their threats to cut off electricity to the Channel Islands!
The French claimed they are not receiving enough licences to fish in UK waters.
In fact, according to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) – which many claim is already very generous to EU fisheries – they no longer have automatic access to UK waters like they had before we left the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
UK and EU vessels can continue to fish in each other waters, but only under licence with certain conditions.
To be granted a licence, a track record must be evidenced of previously having fished in UK waters over an agreed reference period.
No track record, no licence.
Despite shocking calls from some opposition MP’s to just ‘give the French what they want’, the UK Government stood firm while respecting the terms of the TCA.