Harbour Energy is preparing to cut around 100 offshore jobs in the UK North Sea as the extended windfall tax continues to squeeze investment and activity across the basin. The London-listed producer said the latest round of reductions follows the Labour government’s decision to keep the Energy Profits Levy in place until March 2030. The move has frustrated operators who argue the levy—introduced in 2022—has made the UK one of the least competitive offshore provinces for new spending. Scott Barr, managing director of Harbour’s UK business, said the company must reshape its offshore workforce to match “reduced activity and production levels” in the region. He warned that the unit will “continue to struggle to compete for capital within our global portfolio while the EPL remains.” The cuts come after Harbour has already shed about 600 UK positions since the tax was introduced. The latest reductions will follow a consultation period expected to conclude in the first quarter of 2026. Harbour, which operates across nine countries and last year completed the acquisition of Wintershall Dea’s non-Russian assets, is the largest independent producer in the UK sector. Like many North Sea players, it faces declining output from mature fields at a time when the headline tax rate for oil and gas companies sits at 78% once the levy kicks in. Producers had hoped the new government would phase out the EPL early to help unlock stalled projects and stabilise offshore employment. Instead, the fiscal pressure is prompting companies to revisit spending plans and trim headcounts as they navigate weaker commodity prices and a more challenging operating climate. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsUnited Kingdom