Johnson reaffirms commitment to UKCS oil and gas
Prime minister sees a role for the basin in greater UK energy independence, as lobby group puts its head above the parapet on windfall tax calls
UK leader Boris Johnson discussed increasing investment in the North Sea oil and gas industry and boosting supplies of domestic gas in a Monday roundtable of offshore oil and gas industry leaders. On the same day, one of the roundtable participants, lobby group Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), was emboldened to publicly refute the efficacy of a windfall tax on UK-based producers advocated by several of Johnson’s political opponents. The two may not be coincidental. The roundtable conversations included how the UK can remove barriers facing investors and developers and help North Sea projects come online more quickly. The government and industry agreed to work together to help accelerate this fur
Also in this section
18 February 2026
With Texas LNG approaching financial close, Alaska LNG advancing towards a phased buildout and Magnolia LNG positioned for future optionality, Glenfarne CEO Brendan Duval says the coming year will demonstrate how the company’s more focused, owner-operator approach is reshaping LNG infrastructure development in the North America
18 February 2026
The global gas industry is no longer on the backfoot, hesitantly justifying the value of its product, but has greater confidence in gas remaining a core part of the global energy mix for decades
18 February 2026
With marketable supply unlikely to grow significantly and limited scope for pipeline imports, Brazil is expected to continue relying on LNG to cover supply shortfalls, Ieda Gomes, senior adviser of Brazilian thinktank FGV Energia,
tells Petroleum Economist
17 February 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 26–30 April 2026, will bring together leaders from the political, industrial, financial and technology sectors under the unifying theme “Pathways to an Energy Future for All”






