UK government likely to green‑light Jackdaw gas field
The decision on the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea is expected to be announced by the UK government this week. Sources in Whitehall tell BBC News that the Energy Secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, will reveal the outcome on Wednesday morning, with a statement to MPs scheduled for the afternoon. While officials anticipate approval for Jackdaw, a verdict on the Rosebank oil field off Shetland is expected to be delayed.
The two projects have become highly politicised, and their fate has been postponed for several months. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has repeatedly called for a “flexible” energy policy and is believed to support additional drilling where licences already exist in the North Sea. Labour’s 2024 election platform promised not to issue any new oil and gas licences in the region, but it pledged to honour existing ones such as Jackdaw.
Jackdaw lies roughly 150 miles (241.4 kilometres) east of Aberdeen. Operators claim the gas field could be linked to the UK network within a few months of approval. Rosebank, located about 80 miles (128.7 kilometres) north‑west of the Shetland Islands, is Britain’s largest undeveloped oil reservoir and would also generate some gas.
Both sites have been the focus of prolonged debate, legal challenges and public consultations. The licences were granted by the Conservative government in 2022 and 2023, prompting lawsuits from environmental groups. The Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled last year that the approvals for Rosebank and Jackdaw were unlawful because the government did not assess the climate impact of burning the extracted fuels.
Environmental advocates argue that further drilling would be irresponsible and would undermine efforts to curb carbon emissions as extreme weather events intensify worldwide. They contend that starting production would not enhance energy security and that an earlier shift to cleaner technologies would better protect jobs. Industry representatives, on the other hand, maintain that developing Rosebank and Jackdaw would create employment and strengthen the United Kingdom’s energy security amid geopolitical tensions that threaten supply.