SNP Minister Mairi McAllan Backs North Sea Drilling If Climate-Compatible, Energy Secure
SNP minister Mairi McAllan stated that further drilling in the North Sea should proceed if it is compatible with climate targets and required for energy security. Initially, during a televised panel in Aberdeen, McAllan claimed she had “not seen the evidence” for more drilling, noting that decisions on oil exploration are a matter for the UK government. However, under direct questioning, she conceded her conditional support.
This adjustment in the SNP’s position comes just weeks after First Minister John Swinney suggested a softening of the party’s previous opposition to licensing new offshore fossil fuel developments, a policy established in 2023. The shift occurs as UK oil prices have recently risen, following statements from US President Donald Trump regarding Iran and the subsequent disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical conduit for global energy supplies.
Other party leaders criticised the SNP’s evolving stance. Scottish Labour pledged to end its “ideological opposition” to nuclear energy, while Reform UK and the Scottish Conservatives advocated for increased drilling. The Scottish Liberal Democrats indicated support for exploration if it presented a more environmentally sound alternative to importing fossil fuels. Conversely, the Scottish Greens argued that continued extraction was detrimental to both the environment and energy security, advocating for better funding to assist workers transitioning from the sector.
McAllan also criticised the UK government’s energy profits levy, asserting it was “starving the industry of the very investment that we need to transition” and expressed a preference for such decisions to be made in Scotland. The UK government, through Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and the North Sea Transition Authority, is currently reviewing final approvals for two significant oil and gas fields, Rosebank and Jackdaw.
