UK Launches New Licensing Round for Offshore Oil and Gas

A new licensing round for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea will be launched at 6 p.m. on Friday, the UK’s oil and gas regulator said.
The plan was initially announced in April as part of the government’s energy security strategy amid high prices and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Business and Energy Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said the new licensing round will boost jobs, energy security, and the British economy.
He also said domestic production of gas “has a lower carbon footprint than importing from abroad.”
More than 100 licenses may be awarded for the exploration and potential development of 898 blocks and part-blocks in the North Sea, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) said….