Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications of the provisions of the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill for membership of the Energy Charter Treaty.

On 1 September 2023, the UK announced it would be reviewing its membership of the ECT if the modernised Treaty was not adopted by November 2023. The Government is considering the views of stakeholders in business, civil society, and Parliament as part of this process.

Investments in the UK energy sector are potentially in scope of the investment protection provisions of the Energy Charter Treaty. This protection is dependent on the details of the investment and the relationship between the investor and a Contracting Party to the Energy Charter Treaty.