Morning, Friday, 27th November 2026
Online
This conference will examine the future role of oil and gas in the UK energy system, alongside practical priorities for energy security, industrial resilience and transition planning. Areas for discussion include the future of North Sea production and infrastructure, downstream refining capacity, gas system resilience, investment conditions, regional economic implications, and the wider role of oil and gas in the context of the UK’s longer-term energy transition.
Policy, implementation and energy security
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss these issues against the background of policy developments, including the Government’s North Sea Future Plan and forthcoming Energy Independence Bill, alongside parliamentary scrutiny of UK oil and gas production and wider debate around energy security, affordability and industrial competitiveness. Delegates will consider practical questions regarding stewardship of existing assets, investment and fiscal conditions, licensing and consenting policy, and how policy objectives interact with commercial realities, supply chain capability and changing geopolitical conditions.
Skills and supply chain resilience
Further discussion will look at implications for regions and workforces with a strong dependence on the sector - particularly in North East Scotland - alongside considerations for decommissioning, infrastructure reuse, skills transition and the future role of established industrial capability across related supply chains. Attendees will also consider the future of the the downstream oil sector, in the context of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s recent call for evidence, including refinery resilience, industrial competitiveness, fuel security and adaptation to changing patterns of demand.
The agenda will also assess the the future role of gas in the UK energy mix, drawing on recent policy work relating to security of supply and gas system transition. Discussion will focus on strategic and practical considerations for maintaining system resilience and affordability - particularly for hard-to-electrify sectors - alongside options for decarbonisation and diversification of supply.
Overview of areas for discussion
- basin stewardship:
- licensing, consenting and environmental scrutiny - Energy Transition Certificates and management of existing fields - implications of statutory carbon budgets and net zero targets
- lessons learned from recent decisions affecting projects such as Rosebank and Jackdaw - priorities for long-term stewardship of the UK Continental Shelf
- assets and infrastructure:
- decommissioning obligations and safe retirement of ageing infrastructure - commercial lifespan of existing assets
- repurposing infrastructure for carbon capture, utilisation and storage, hydrogen and related energy uses - implications of OPRED charging reforms
- fiscal and investment framework:
- replacing the Energy Profits Levy - operation of the proposed Oil and Gas Price Mechanism - interaction with the Energy Security Investment Mechanism
- maintaining investment confidence and supply chain resilience during policy transition
- workforce and transition:
- pace and practicalities of transition for oil and gas-dependent regions - support for local economies and communities, particularly in North East Scotland
- retraining, redeployment and workforce planning across adjacent sectors
- skills and employment pathways:
- implementation of the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund, North Sea Jobs Service and Energy Skills Passport - effectiveness of career transition support
- links with wider industrial and clean jobs policy, including manufacturing, transport and defence
- downstream resilience:
- competitiveness of UK refineries in the context of energy, operating and carbon costs - infrastructure investment requirements
- interaction with the UK Emissions Trading Scheme and Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism - implications for fuel security and industrial capability
- low-carbon fuels:
- development of sustainable aviation fuel, e-fuels, hydrogen, biogas and other fuel pathways - implications for refinery adaptation - practical considerations for decarbonising hard-to-electrify sectors
- energy security and gas:
- future role of oil and gas in the wider energy mix - affordability, baseload supply, capacity and resilience
- implications of gas system transition policy - strategic options for maintaining supply security during wider energy system change - considerations for off-grid households
- consumers and geopolitical risk:
- exposure to international price shocks and supply disruption - implications for consumer affordability and energy-intensive industries
- interaction between domestic production, imports and wider market reform
