Great Yarmouth is in line for a "big boost" through exploration of new gas fields off the Norfolk coast, the town's MP has said.
But critics have hit out at the government's drive for North Sea drilling, branding it is "an expensive and dangerous road to planetary destruction".
The North Sea Transition Authority, the offshore industry’s regulator, last week announced it was offering licences for 898 ‘blocks’ of the UK’s seabed for exploration, dozens of which are off the Norfolk coast.
It will mean energy companies can bid for exclusive licences to explore, and potentially recover, any oil or gas they find - with some fast-tracked.
And Brandon Lewis, Conservative MP for Great Yarmouth, said: "It will be a big boost for companies working in the energy sector based in Great Yarmouth.
"Great Yarmouth has a skilled workforce working in the North Sea, whether it is within the existing oil and gas sector or the important offshore renewable wind farms.
"These new exploration licences mean we can use those local skills, as well as create new jobs."
The new licensing round was welcomed by energy production industry and skills association East of England Energy Group - but called for a more joined up approach to all forms of offshore energy.
Martin Dronfield, executive chairman, said “With a focus on energy security, our region is quite literally keeping the nation’s lights on, and heating our homes and businesses with the Bacton Terminal supplying around a third of UK’s domestic gas needs and more than 5GW of installed offshore wind off our coast.
"But we really need to see a more integrated strategy for offshore energy developments across oil and gas, wind, hydrogen and carbon capture, and associated infrastructure, to really maximize the potential of our region's skills and supply chain businesses."
But Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay, a former Norwich city councillor, said: "The only people who benefit from this reckless decision are the fossil fuel companies and vested interests who have backed the Truss government and are now receiving their payback.
"The reality is, we can only hope to hold global warming to under 1.5 degrees if we leave fossil fuels in the ground.
"New oil and gas exploration is an expensive and dangerous road to planetary destruction."
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