Denmark’s oil and gas bans—an exercise in virtue signalling?
No future rounds to award new E&P licences will take place. Given recent exploration activity, it is unlikely anyone will care
Denmark’s climate, energy and utilities ministry announced to some fanfare in December that what it dubbed “a broad majority” of the country’s MPs had agreed to cancel both the ongoing eighth licensing round and any future oil and gas E&P bidding auctions, as well as committing to ending all oil and gas production by 2050. The ministry’s data on exploration wells drilled suggests it might just as easily have not bothered. In October last year, Total, the largest operator on the Danish continental shelf (DCS) owing to its 2017 acquisition of Maersk, withdrew from the eighth round, triggering the government to enter into talks with all stakeholders on the future of the DCS. Perhaps the big
Also in this section
1 April 2026
Golden Pass’s startup offers QatarEnergy a timely boost but may also force a difficult choice between honouring disrupted contracts and capitalising on soaring spot LNG prices
1 April 2026
It is not a case of if or when, but the length and magnitude of economic damage from elevated oil prices
1 April 2026
The US-Iran conflict demonstrates the need for diversification in several senses of the word. It also exposes the limits of Washington applying pressure on major oil and gas producers it considers geopolitical adversaries
31 March 2026
Disappointing results in its bidding round are a reality check for Libya, and global exploration generally
