OGUK Welcomes New UK Energy Minister
Industry body Oil & Gas UK (OGUK) has welcomed the appointment of Greg Hands as the country’s new Minister of State for Energy.
As part of his new role, Hands will oversee policies on energy, clean growth and climate change, all of which are relevant to the oil and gas industry and its aim of leading the nation in transitioning to a low carbon future, OGUK highlighted.
A recent cabinet reshuffle saw Hands move from the Department for International Trade, where he was minister for trade policy from February 2020. Hands, who has previously served as chief secretary to the treasury, served as a Local Councilor in Fulham from 1998 to 2006. He was elected Conservative MP for Hammersmith and Fulham in 2005, and the MP for the redrawn Chelsea and Fulham constituency in 2010 and 2015.
Hands’ predecessor, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who was energy minister from January, was promoted to Secretary of State for International Trade as part of the reshuffle. Trevelyan was first elected as an MP for the Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency at the 2015 general election.
“We would like to thank Ms Trevelyan very much indeed for working with us so closely and effectively, especially in relation to the North Sea Transition Deal,” Deirdre Michie, OGUK’s chief executive, said in an organization statement.
“This was a transformational agreement, the first of its kind by any G7 country, showing how oil and gas-producing countries can move fairly towards a lower carbon future … That deal is designed to create up to 40,000 new energy jobs and help our energy heartlands, places like Aberdeen and Teeside, retain the jobs and skills needed to move towards net zero,” Michie added in the statement.
“We look forward to working with Mr Hands in implementing that deal which will unlock up to GBP 16 billion ($21.8 billion) in investment over the next decade in crucial low carbon technologies like carbon capture and storage, and the production of hydrogen as a greener fuel,” Michie went on to say.
The North Sea Transition deal was announced in March this year. The deal will support workers, businesses and the supply chain through the transition by harnessing the industry’s existing capabilities, infrastructure and private investment potential to exploit new and emerging technologies such as hydrogen production, carbon capture usage and storage, offshore wind and decommissioning, the UK government noted at the time.
To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com
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