London CNN —The UK government has announced plans to allow a big expansion of drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea in a move that environmental activists have described as a taking a “wrecking ball” to the country’s climate commitments. “Even when we’ve reached net zero in 2050, a quarter of our energy needs will come from oil and gas. He also announced plans to build two new carbon capture and storage sites in the North Sea, to be completed by 2030, which would take the country’s total to four. The licensing process, overseen by the North Sea Transition Authority, will be more flexible to allow companies to drill near currently licensed areas, “unlocking vital reserves which can be brought online faster,” Sunak’s office said in a statement. “[The project] is a central part of plans to decarbonize North Sea operations, and to store emissions from other parts of Scottish industry,” he said.

---

Persons: Rishi Sunak, we’ve, ” Sunak, Simon Roddy, ”, ” Lyndsay Walsh, Philip Evans, “, ” Evans Organizations: London CNN, International Energy Agency, Transition, Shell, ”, Greenpeace UK, Conservative, Labour Party Locations: North, Scotland, loggerheads