In Cromarty, in scenic northeast Scotland, locals share the waterfront with towering mothballed oil rigs. 

The UK plans to become a net zero emitter by 2050 but in July the government promised hundreds of new licenses for gas and oil exploration in the North Sea, as households struggled to pay for the soaring cost of energy. 

This means rigs could soon be drilling for oil again, despite promises to cut fossil fuel use - a move defended by offshore energy companies.

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"In the UK we're a net importer of oil and gas," said Michael Tholen, Director of Sustainability at Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), a body that represents the industry.

‌"We're trying to develop more wind, carbon storage, and hydrogen, all of them need investment and it's a transition. It's not simply the ability to turn the lights off on oil and gas and move straight to more electricity. We need molecules, we need electrons, we are going to need them both for years to come," he added.

‌This new emphasis on fossil fuels comes as the clouds gather over the UK wind energy industry. With electricity prices capped due to the conflict in Ukraine, a recent auction of licenses to build offshore wind farms failed to attract any bidders. 

Not possible to turn a profit

Power companies say that at current prices it is not possible to turn a profit on new projects.

"The cost of installing new wind turbines is really expensive," said OEUK's Tholen. "Despite what is going on across Europe on electricity prices, they don't really match the cost of doing business in wind here in the UK at the minute."

Environmental campaigners are in a black mood over these setbacks to the UK's net-zero policy. Greenpeace recently occupied one of the Prime Minister's houses while he was on an overseas trip. Activists say that the policy changes are confusing for businesses trying to plan ahead.

"Any open government support for the continuation of fossil fuels has a negative impact on the transition," said Erik Dalhuijsen, co-founder of Aberdeen Climate Action. "It drives investors away. Investors need an understanding of what the government is going to do and they need to know that for the long term," he said.

‌Government data shows renewables currently make up about 47 percent of the country's energy production. However, if the UK is to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, ministers say wind energy needs to increase five-fold.

‌As tough economic times test the UK's commitment to net zero, the mothballed sleeping giant rigs in the North Sea could soon be waking up.

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