Photo by Ben Wicks
Public consultations on the Rosebank oil field and the Jackdaw gas field have now closed, with developer Adura calling the moment a “major step” towards a final government decision on two of the most contested energy projects in UK politics. Both fields were approved under the previous Conservative government, but a legal challenge by Uplift and Greenpeace UK at the Court of Session found the approvals unlawful for failing to properly consider the climate impact of burning the extracted fuel, sending both back to regulator OPRED for reassessment.
The industry case
Adura, jointly owned by Shell and Equinor with Ithaca Energy holding a stake in Rosebank, argues the projects would deliver £10.8 billion of investment, more than three-quarters of it spent in the UK, supporting 3,500 jobs at peak construction. Chief executive Neil McCulloch called them “nationally significant” projects that “can provide more domestically produced energy, support high-quality jobs and apprenticeships, generate substantial economic activity and tax revenues, and give the UK’s world-class energy supply chain confidence for the future.” Offshore Energies UK’s David Whitehouse warned that with oil and gas still meeting around 75% of the UK’s energy needs, blocking domestic production “just means more imported oil and gas – often with a higher carbon footprint, while more jobs, taxes and industrial value are shifted overseas.”
Political pressure from all sides
Both Scottish Labour leadership candidates, Michael Marra and Joe Fagan, called for swift approval at a Stirling hustings. Marra called the issue “finely balanced” but said “we need to move faster to make sure we can secure proper investment in the North Sea”, while Fagan warned of offshore supply chains being “destroyed” without progress, adding that the decision is “not just a political decision, it’s a legal decision as well.” Scottish Conservative Andrew Bowie went further still, warning the choice “could be the difference between life and death for an industry that has supported the UK for generations.” Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney struck a more measured note, saying each application must be judged against “the equivalent of importing the oil and gas that could come from either of these developments.”
Perhaps the most striking intervention has come from Ecotricity founder and Labour donor Dale Vince, who has reportedly told BBC Newsnight he now backs both fields, provided wholesale price controls accompany any drilling – a sharp reversal from his previous position of being “opposed to new drilling absolutely.” “Provided we don’t roll back on net zero,” he said, “it makes sense to be pragmatic about the North Sea.”
Weighing the economics and the climate
A new Imperial College London analysis, led by researcher Luke Hatton, found the worldwide economic damage from the fields’ emissions could reach £119–336 billion by 2100, far outweighing Adura’s claimed £28.7 billion UK benefit. “There’s going to be a very strong destruction of economic value above and beyond what Rosebank and Jackdaw could generate for the UK,” Hatton said. Academics at Sheffield and Exeter backed the findings, and the government’s own adviser, the Climate Change Committee, has previously concluded that “net zero is a more cost-effective path for the UK economy than continued reliance on fossil fuels.”
A more nuanced picture came from economist David Comerford, writing for the Economics Observatory. He argued against any broad reopening of North Sea exploration, but drew a clear distinction between the two projects: Jackdaw, which could begin producing gas within weeks, has a genuine short-term energy security case that Rosebank, a predominantly oil project, cannot claim.
Environmental opposition
Uplift’s deputy director, Robert Palmer, accused the industry of pushing Burnham towards a “drill baby, drill agenda”, urging him to reject Rosebank “once and for all”. Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, a coalition of more than 70 organisations, has written to ministers warning that approval would be “not compatible with climate goals” given the “extreme heat, drought, wildfires and growing risks to food insecurity” already being felt.
Government holds its line
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has repeated a near-identical, non-committal statement across multiple outlets: “The North Sea remains a vital national asset, supporting jobs, growth and the UK’s energy security… alongside transitioning to clean power to protect jobs and tackle the climate crisis.” Energy minister Michael Shanks has said there is no fixed deadline, telling the Scotsman the government would “make a decision as quickly as possible.” The final call rests with Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, with no timetable confirmed, though Adura suggests Jackdaw could be producing gas as early as this winter.