Denmark’s oil and gas bans—an exercise in virtue signalling?
No future rounds to award new E&P licences will take place. Given recent exploration activity, it is unlikely anyone will care
Denmark’s climate, energy and utilities ministry announced to some fanfare in December that what it dubbed “a broad majority” of the country’s MPs had agreed to cancel both the ongoing eighth licensing round and any future oil and gas E&P bidding auctions, as well as committing to ending all oil and gas production by 2050. The ministry’s data on exploration wells drilled suggests it might just as easily have not bothered. In October last year, Total, the largest operator on the Danish continental shelf (DCS) owing to its 2017 acquisition of Maersk, withdrew from the eighth round, triggering the government to enter into talks with all stakeholders on the future of the DCS. Perhaps the big
Also in this section
28 April 2026
Oil traders warning of $200/bl oil are wrong, and the market should be wary of proclamations that the impact of the oil shortage has only begun to be felt and a that a ‘harsh adjustment’ is coming—even for industrialised nations
28 April 2026
Restoring supply from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Iraq involves complexities far beyond simply adjusting operational controls
28 April 2026
Datacentres will guzzle power at a ferocious rate, but the impact on wider energy markets will be far more complex than previously thought
28 April 2026
The key energy player faces balancing regional routes, political complexities, and creating a clear strategic vision for energy security
