US President Donald Trump has called on the UK to broaden oil and gas extraction in the North Sea, asserting that multiple international energy companies have approached him with a desire to restart local operations. Trump declined to identify these firms, and no company has publicly confirmed such interactions. He framed expanded North Sea development as a potential economic boon for Britain.
During a press Q&A on September 13 in Ireland, Trump stated that the UK could secure substantial economic gains by opening up its North Sea hydrocarbon resources, cautioning that continued restrictions could undermine the nation's economy. He also criticised Britain for relying on imported energy despite possessing domestic reserves, advocating for an end to limitations on oil and gas projects. However, Trump offered no specifics on when or how companies contacted him, which projects were discussed, or the scale of potential investment involved.
This expression of support does not alter the UK's licensing or environmental review procedures. The decision to green-light any North Sea project remains firmly with the British government and its regulatory bodies, which will assess each proposal on its merits. The current policy halts new exploration licences but does not revoke existing ones, allowing established fields to continue production through their permit terms—meaning a suspension of new exploration is not equivalent to shutting down all North Sea output.
The government's transitional blueprint for the North Sea retains a role for hydrocarbons during the energy shift, while simultaneously advancing offshore wind, carbon capture, and hydrogen industries. London also plans to phase out the current energy profits levy on oil and gas companies by 2030, replacing it with a tax framework designed to respond to future exceptional price spikes.
At the heart of the present controversy are two major ventures: the Jackdaw gas field and the Rosebank oil field. Both hold existing licences, so development approvals would not necessitate new exploration permits. Their earlier environmental consents were rescinded after regulators determined that emissions from eventual combustion of produced hydrocarbons had not been fully accounted for in the approval process. Developers have since resubmitted environmental assessments, and decisions are still pending with UK authorities.
Industry projections suggest these two fields could collectively contribute roughly 10% of the UK's oil and gas output at peak production. Yet, uncertainty persists regarding approval timelines, commissioning dates, and final investment commitments. A long-term decline in the North Sea's output presents a practical hurdle—production fell by 72% between 1999 and 2023, with forecasts indicating a further 89% drop by 2050. Direct employment in the UK's extraction sector also shrank by about one-third from 2014 to 2023.
Expanding development would therefore require addressing mature field depletion, project costs, tax policies, and environmental permitting simultaneously. Any new production would be sold at global market prices, meaning domestic energy bills would not automatically fall as a direct consequence. Trump's latest remarks intensify political pressure on the UK government regarding its North Sea stance, though there is currently no sign that policy has shifted, nor public evidence that the energy firms he referenced have submitted fresh investment or revival proposals.