Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the impact of Storm Babet on operations in the offshore oil and gas industry.

The UK’s offshore oil and gas industry is well-prepared for extreme weather through its long history of North Sea operations, with regular winter preparedness workshops held between regulators, industry trade bodies, and their members.

Storm Babet had a limited impact on offshore oil and gas industry operations overall. One reported incident involved the Stena Spey semi-submersible, which lost four of its eight anchors. The Government is aware that another offshore installation lost an anchor. Additionally, storm-related disruption to helicopter flights impacted workers for up to four days, although flights have since returned to normal operation.