Trade body Oil and Gas UK said a number of planned wind farms around the UK potentially impinge on the operations of offshore oil rigs.
It said there needed to be clearer legislation to avoid legal ambiguities over rights.
The organisation has denied reports it is planning legal action against wind developers.
In the view of some observers, the rules could be already be skewed in favour of the oil industry.
According to the environmental group WWF, the Crown Estate’s offshore leases contain a clause allowing the government to terminate the contract if it wishes to declare a license in that area for oil or gas exploration.
The WWF is calling for legislation to give priority to renewables projects in the event of a conflict with oil and gas licenses.
The past 12 months have seen UK offshore capacity pass the 1GW mark. A further 2.2GW is in construction and just under 2GW more has received consent.
However, over 32GW of offshore wind capacity is eventually envisaged around the UK coast.
In its first year in office, the UK’s coalition government has been supportive of offshore wind. In the recent spending review, the sector received a £200 million grant to facilitate the development of ports specialising in wind farm assembly.
