Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and Scottish Renewables have called on the UK government to replace the Energy Profits Levy in 2026, raise ambition for offshore wind in Allocation Round 7 (AR7), and safeguard skilled workers as the North Sea transitions to clean energy, citing risks of widening gaps in jobs, investment, and industry capability.
In a joint letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, OEUK chief executive David Whitehouse and Scottish Renewables chief executive Claire Mack OBE said: “Our energy future stands at a critical juncture. Unless we slow the pace of decline in North Sea oil and gas while simultaneously accelerating the scale and speed of renewable energy deployment, we face a widening gap in jobs, investment and capability that will weaken our economy.”
The organisations urged ministers to ensure “bold investment” in offshore wind to advance AR7 projects and to protect and redeploy the UK’s experienced energy workforce.
Mack added: “The skills, infrastructure and experience built by Scotland’s oil and gas sector are vital assets that must be safeguarded and redeployed as we accelerate the transition to clean energy.”
She also stressed the importance of government support for offshore wind auctions, saying: “It is critical that the UK Government’s upcoming auction rounds enable Scotland’s offshore wind pipeline to move into construction so that their full value can be realised for consumers and communities.”
Whitehouse and Mack referenced a recent warning from the Scottish Affairs Committee about the potential for “Grangemouth-scale job losses” if action is not taken, pressing for intervention ahead of the UK budget on November 26.
