Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC) has launched a major new initiative to help reset the national debate about the future of the North Sea, calling on politicians to base one of the UK's most important policy decisions on evidence rather than rhetoric.
At a time when Britain faces growing questions over energy security, industrial competitiveness and the pace of the energy transition, the Chamber has unveiled NorthSeaFacts.co.uk – a comprehensive new online resource bringing together publicly available evidence on the economic, environmental and energy security case for domestic oil and gas production.
The launch comes as UK Continental Shelf production continues to decline by around 10% every year, with lost production increasingly being replaced by imported LNG gas which carries emissions far higher than North Sea production.
While the UK continues to require significant quantities of oil and gas for decades to come, public debate has become increasingly polarised and too often overlooks the consequences of replacing domestic production with such imports.
To coincide with the launch, AGCC has written to every Member of Parliament and every Member of the Scottish Parliament, urging them to use the resource to inform future discussions on energy policy and calling for practical action to ensure Britain replaces imported oil and gas with cleaner domestic production wherever demand still exists.
Organised around the questions most commonly asked by politicians, journalists and the public, North Sea Facts examines issues including investment and jobs, energy security, emissions and cost of living, drawing on publicly available information from government, independent bodies and recognised research organisations to provide context behind the headlines.
Russell Borthwick, Chief Executive of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said: "The debate about the future of the North Sea has become one of the defining economic and energy policy discussions facing the UK. The decisions taken over the next few years will have profound implications for jobs, investment, public finances, energy security and the success of the energy transition itself.
"Too often, however, that debate has become dominated by slogans rather than evidence. North Sea Facts has been created to help reset the conversation by putting independently sourced data and publicly available evidence at the centre of it."
He added: "Every credible forecast shows Britain will continue to need oil and gas for decades to come. The real question is whether we produce more of that energy ourselves, under some of the world's highest environmental standards, or increasingly rely on imports from overseas.
"Today, production from the UK Continental Shelf is declining by around 10% every year. Unless new investment comes forward, almost all of that decline is replaced by imported energy. That means exporting jobs, investment and tax revenues while increasing our dependence on international markets."
The Chamber's letter to parliamentarians also calls for two immediate policy changes to support a managed transition.
It urges the Government to deliver the Oil & Gas Revenue Levy in the next Budget, honouring the Rachel Reeve's previous commitment to introduce a stable long-term fiscal framework, and to establish a regulatory regime capable of delivering timely consenting decisions for projects that can slow the decline in domestic production.
The Chamber says these measures would help ensure that while Britain continues to require oil and gas, a greater proportion is produced domestically rather than imported, supporting employment, investment and tax revenues while reducing the emissions associated with higher-carbon sources of supply.
North Sea Facts will be updated regularly as new evidence emerges and is intended to become a trusted reference point for parliamentarians, policymakers, journalists, businesses and the public.
Visit North Sea Facts.