Renewables Chief: Drill North Sea for Energy Security

0:00On March 17, the head of Britain's renewables trade body is calling on energy secretary Ed Miliband to approve more oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. Tara Singh, chief executive of Renewable UK, argues that global tensions like the recent Middle East crisis show how exposed the UK remains to energy. Price spikes, she says, producing more homegrown energy of all types would make the country stronger and safer. Singh points to her past work, advising the government during Russia's Crimea invasion when UK prices soared. She stresses that Britain will need fossil fuels for years to come, so tapping North Sea supplies makes sense rather than relying on imports that. Could be dirtier or costlier. Miliband is pushback hard, saying the real lesson from these crises is to speed up clean energy like wind and solar. Since last July, his labor government has mostly blocked new drilling licenses and hiked the windfall tax on producers to 78 percent.

1:00That stance has drawn fire from labor's union allies like Unite and GMB, plus voices from Tony Blair's think tank. Meanwhile, octopus energies boss Greg Jackson echoes the call to use North Sea resources. A new parliamentary report warns the drilling limits could mean missing out on around 5 billion barrels of oil and gas. Prime Minister Kier's Starmor has pledged 50 million pounds to help families with soaring heating oil costs, outside the price cap with bigger aid. Plans of prices stay high past June. Government officials insist new licenses won't cut bills or secure energy and they're focused on clean power for jobs and sovereignty while safely. Running existing North Sea feels to their end. Made in AI.