{"id":19088,"date":"2026-07-31T13:23:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T13:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=19088"},"modified":"2026-07-31T13:23:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T13:23:01","slug":"bp-seeks-to-sell-north-sea-business-as-uk-faces-drilling-dilemma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=19088","title":{"rendered":"BP seeks to sell North Sea business as UK faces drilling dilemma"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0\">\n<p>BP has launched moves to sell its North Sea business, the British oil and gas giant announced Friday, as new Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces pressure to ease drilling restrictions in the area.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe North Sea remains integral to the UK\u2019s energy system,\u201d BP chief executive Meg O\u2019Neill said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHowever, as we focus our portfolio and direct capital to our highest-value opportunities, we believe our North Sea business will be better positioned as part of another company,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>BP\u2019s North Sea portfolio comprises five production hubs and employs about 1,100 people, the company noted Friday as it maintained its commitment to the UK, which will remain home to its global headquarters.<\/p>\n<p>BP, whose performance has generally fallen behind that of its rivals in recent years, has in recent times slashed clean energy investment as it pivots back to its more profitable oil and gas business.<\/p>\n<p>But the North Sea is not seen as deriving much profit for the group, even if more drilling is allowed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Trump pressure \u2013<\/p>\n<p>US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on Britain to ramp up oil and gas production in the North Sea.<\/p>\n<p>Trump claimed that Burnham said in a first call between the pair last week that the prime minister would\u00a0\u201copen up North Sea\u00a0oil\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Questioned on the matter, Burnham told reporters Thursday: \u201cI indicated in the phone call\u2026 that I would take a pragmatic approach when it comes to the North Sea, and that is my intention as we go forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a resource there. When people are struggling (with high bills), we can\u2019t ignore that,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Ruling centre-left Labour took power in July 2024 promising not to issue any new oil and gas drilling licences as it bids to steer Britain away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy.<\/p>\n<p>Burnham, who replaced Keir Starmer as Labour Party leader and prime minister earlier this month, has vowed to abide by all the party\u2019s manifesto commitments published ahead of its general election win.<\/p>\n<p>But the new PM has promised also the most radical governing agenda in decades to ease the cost of living, which has been made worse by the Middle East war pushing up energy bills.<\/p>\n<p>Burnham has already announced plans to remove value added tax (VAT) from electricity bills this winter.<\/p>\n<p>Those favouring greater North Sea drilling argue that it would help to reduce such bills, while providing Britain with greater energy security \u2014 seen as vital after Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine disrupted global supplies of fossil fuels and sent oil and gas prices surging.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 BP sale talks \u2013<\/p>\n<p>BP on Friday said it was \u201claunching a process to market its North Sea business for a potential sale\u201d, without being drawn on any potential suitors.<\/p>\n<p>The Financial Times in June reported that BP held unsuccessful discussions regarding a possible sale to smaller British peer Ithaca Energy for \u00a32 billion ($2.7 billion).<\/p>\n<p>BP rival Shell last year merged its North Sea assets with those of Norway\u2019s Equinor.<\/p>\n<p>It comes as energy companies wait to see if drilling at two offshore fields in the area \u2014 Jackdaw and Rosebank \u2014 will be allowed amid court battles and bureaucratic delays.<\/p>\n<p>BP\u2019s latest announcement comes as it prepares to publish its second-quarter earnings on Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Shell on Thursday said that its net profit tripled to $10.8 billion in the April-June period as the US-Iran conflict sent oil prices soaring.<\/p>\n<p>BP could also announce bumper profits, taking focus away from recent internal unrest.<\/p>\n<p>The group faced a shareholder backlash at its annual meeting in April as investors rejected a resolution that would have reduced its climate reporting requirements.<\/p>\n<p>That coincided with O\u2019Neill becoming CEO, whose immediate task has been to also slash costs.<\/p>\n<p>In May, BP unexpectedly removed Albert Manifold as chairman, citing \u201cserious concerns\u201d about governance standards, oversight and conduct at the company, which he has denied.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; 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display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t\r\n<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114303\" data-width=\"125\" data-height=\"125\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114303});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u7ad6\u680f\uff1a160\u00d7600 \u6574\u5217\u9ad8\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row:3\/8; height:600px;  display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114301\" data-width=\"160\" data-height=\"600\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114301});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<br \/> BP seeks to sell North Sea business as UK faces drilling dilemma<br \/>\n<br \/>#seeks #sell #North #Sea #business #faces #drilling #dilemma<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BP has launched moves to sell its North Sea business, the British oil and gas&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[69,11903,1977,3787,296,633,4702,4629],"class_list":["post-19088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-business","tag-dilemma","tag-drilling","tag-faces","tag-north","tag-sea","tag-seeks","tag-sell"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cbfbcde3c42e5036a19d4073a5ccd45cfbd8c94b-1.jpg",768,512,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cbfbcde3c42e5036a19d4073a5ccd45cfbd8c94b-1-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cbfbcde3c42e5036a19d4073a5ccd45cfbd8c94b-1-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cbfbcde3c42e5036a19d4073a5ccd45cfbd8c94b-1.jpg",640,427,false],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cbfbcde3c42e5036a19d4073a5ccd45cfbd8c94b-1.jpg",640,427,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cbfbcde3c42e5036a19d4073a5ccd45cfbd8c94b-1.jpg",768,512,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cbfbcde3c42e5036a19d4073a5ccd45cfbd8c94b-1.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cbfbcde3c42e5036a19d4073a5ccd45cfbd8c94b-1.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cbfbcde3c42e5036a19d4073a5ccd45cfbd8c94b-1-768x500.jpg",768,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cbfbcde3c42e5036a19d4073a5ccd45cfbd8c94b-1.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cbfbcde3c42e5036a19d4073a5ccd45cfbd8c94b-1-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cbfbcde3c42e5036a19d4073a5ccd45cfbd8c94b-1-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?cat=7\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","tag_info":"Stories","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}