It looks likely that tax rebates will soon be available to smaller, specialist oil and gas operators, enabling them to take on decommissioning liabilities that they previously could not afford.
The UK is soon to have access to Norway’s abundant hydro-power energy reserves, via a subsea power cable connecting Kvilldal in Norway and Blyth in the UK.
Last month, UK oil exploration firm Hurricane Energy announced that it has made what it calls the “largest undeveloped discovery” of oil reserves in UK waters.