Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) has released a new report recommending an increase in oil and gas production in the North Sea and abandoning the UK government's 2030 goal to largely decarbonise electricity. The report argues this is needed to power artificial intelligence data centers. TBI claims renewable energy is too costly, but industry data shows renewables like wind and solar are much cheaper than new gas power plants. Onshore wind costs £72/MWh and solar £65/MWh, both less than half the £147/MWh for gas. Offshore wind is also about 40% cheaper than gas. Nuclear power, favored by TBI, is more expensive and slower to build. TBI suggests oil and gas companies should get major tax cuts to boost a projected £165 billion North Sea industry. However, since 2020, UK energy companies have earned £125 billion in profits, with Shell and BP making record profits in 2022. Critics say scrapping the windfall tax now would reward profiteering while millions struggle with energy bills. Simon Francis from the End Fuel Poverty Coalition said: "To call for the windfall tax to be scrapped, while energy giants post extraordinary profits and millions live in cold damp homes is staggering. That tax exists because companies benefited from a crisis that devastated household finances. Removing the windfall tax would reward profiteering and shift the burden back on to households that are still paying the price of Britain’s overreliance on gas." Experts also point out that more North Sea production would do little to lower UK energy prices or improve security, as gas prices are set by international markets. The UK will still depend on imports for much of its gas in the coming decades. Bob Ward from the London School of Economics said: "More North Sea production would have no significant impact on the wholesale price of electricity and would not reduce prices for British households and businesses." Renewable energy costs have fallen dramatically, cutting wholesale electricity prices by about one third last year. Shaun Spiers of Green Alliance commented: "We don’t need to rethink a clean power plan that’s working – the UK generated record-breaking amounts of renewable energy last year." However, the TBI report offers few ideas on how to lower consumer bills, which largely depend on gas prices. The report supports the UK's net zero by 2050 goal but offers no plan to align this with reducing renewables growth. Angharad Hopkinson from Greenpeace UK called the report's logic "ludicrous," saying: "The assertion that abandoning strategies to reduce emissions will somehow reduce emissions, and choosing more expensive energy will somehow reduce costs, is ludicrous." TBI also argues the UK’s share of global emissions is just 1%, implying bigger emitters like China are more important. Critics warn that if many countries with around 1% emissions each abandon net zero, global warming would surpass safe limits. The report has drawn sharp criticism for promoting fossil fuels while ignoring cheaper, cleaner energy solutions and the urgent need to cut emissions.