The UK government has approved the Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea. Ministers say it will add to gas supply this winter, while campaigners argue it will do little for bills. The Rosebank oilfield decision is next.
The UK government has approved the Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea, a widely expected move that will dismay environmental campaigners and a number of Labour MPs. The field will start supplying gas to homes and businesses from the end of the month, the government said.
Ministers point to winter supply
Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said the decision will support energy security with homegrown gas this winter. She also announced a new Energy Wealth Fund that will start with £2bn in funding and invest North Sea tax revenues in renewables and low-carbon energy.
The field lies 150 miles east of Aberdeen. Shell operates Jackdaw. The Financial Times reports that Adura, a Shell and Equinor joint venture, is developing the project.
Campaigners question the benefit
However, Tessa Khan, executive director of the campaign group Uplift, said Jackdaw will provide around just 2% of gas demand for roughly 10 years. The oil and gas industry says the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields will provide 10% of the UK's output at their peak.
Jess Ralston, an analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said the approval would not bring down UK gas and electricity bills or improve energy security substantially. Two large trade unions, GMB and Unite, had pushed ministers to approve Jackdaw and Rosebank to protect jobs and bolster tax revenue.
Rosebank decision comes next
The government must now decide whether to approve the Rosebank oilfield, roughly 80 miles north-west of the Shetland Islands. Both projects had their consents quashed in 2025 after a Supreme Court decision requiring authorities to take into account the emissions from burning the fuels.
Ministers had been expected to decide on Jackdaw last month, but the decision was delayed, seemingly to take it beyond the Holborn and St Pancras byelection on 8 October, which Labour won.
Sources: The Guardian, Financial Times
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