Timelines
How the main stories unfold, day after day: each timeline gathers the articles about one event, with a summary.
- Canadian Natural Resources International fined £300,000 for breaching offshore regulations
Oil and gas business Canadian Natural Resources International has been hit with a £300,000 fine after breaching offshore regulations. The company self-reported the breach to the North Sea Transition Authority.
- Equinor warns it may shun UK investment if Rosebank and Jackdaw fields are not approved
Equinor has warned that the UK risks being 'uninvestable' and that it may shun further investments there if the new oil and gas fields at Rosebank and Jackdaw are not approved. Anders Opedal, the boss of the Norwegian state oil company, suggested the company would look elsewhere if final approval was not granted for the two sites. Andy Burnham noted that he would adopt a 'pragmatic' approach towards North Sea oil and gas ahead of the pending rulings on Jackdaw and Rosebank.
- North Sea oil workers strike risks UK fuel supplies
A potential strike by North Sea oil workers has raised concerns about the stability of UK fuel supplies. More than 160 workers with Apache, a Texas-based oil firm, have voted in favor of strike action following a breakdown in pay negotiations. Unite, the union representing the workers, has warned that the strike could disrupt the Forties pipeline and affect fuel supplies in the UK. The situation has intensified amid rising UK diesel prices, which have exceeded £2 per litre. The owners of major assets have not commented on the potential impact of the strike.
- G7 agrees to release up to 100 million barrels of reserves after Trump's diesel export threat
After President Donald Trump threatened to ban diesel exports to ease prices in the US, Britain held talks with European partners over releasing emergency diesel reserves, and Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh was in direct contact with US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, City AM reported. On 2 October G7 leaders agreed to release 'up to 100 million barrels' of petroleum reserves, a coordinated release aimed at heading off further price spikes and avoiding a ban on US diesel exports, according to the BBC; French President Emmanuel Macron said they agreed to work to help bring down the prices of petroleum products, particularly diesel, and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said he hoped it would 'shield households and businesses from price shocks'. Trump then claimed a diesel export ban was 'never on table', although he had repeatedly said in recent weeks that a block on US supplies was being considered.
- UK diesel prices hit records as ministers insist supply is robust despite Trump's export threat
UK diesel prices climbed to record highs as wars wiped out about a fifth of global supplies, the average forecourt price reaching an all-time high of 199.18p a litre on 28 September, above the 199.09p peak of June 2022, according to The Guardian. Donald Trump said he would back a ban on US diesel exports, and on 1 October the UK held emergency talks with European allies over releasing diesel stocks. A former BP executive had sparked fears that the UK could face rationing, but transport minister Keir Mather said on 2 October that Britain's supply was 'robust' and 'inherently resilient', as the US Treasury secretary said European countries should use their reserves. The same day, G7 leaders agreed to release up to 100 million barrels of emergency oil and diesel reserves within four months.