LONDON: The British government on Wednesday angered environmentalists by saying it could license further oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, months before it hosts a climate change summit.

The government made the announcement as it unveiled a new “North Sea Transition Deal”, aimed at helping lower carbon emissions in the energy sector.

The deal says the UK will grant licences for further oil and gas drilling only if “they are compatible with the UK’s climate change objectives”.

The UK has committed to a target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The country’s oil and gas in the North Sea remains strategically important, for generating power and also for boosting tax revenue and creating jobs.

At the same time, the government wants to massively reduce the environmental impact of North Sea oil and gas, since extraction in this area causes 3.5 percent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. The deal announced Wednesday calls for the sector to cut its carbon emissions in half by 2030, with help from joint government and oil and gas sector investment of up to £16 billion ($22 million, 18.5 million euros).

The reduction will be achieved by powering oil and gas platforms with renewable energy and using technologies such as carbon capture and storage, and production of hydrogen.