UK Clears Jackdaw Gas Field, Rosebank Decision Still Pending

The UK government approved the Jackdaw North Sea gas field on 21 October, ending three years of legal and political limbo for a development that could lift domestic gas output by roughly 6 per cent at peak.

Jackdaw sits about 240 km east of Aberdeen and belongs to Adura, the joint venture Shell and Equinor formed in 2025. The field first won government consent in 2022, but Scotland's Court of Session in Edinburgh rescinded its environmental approval after a judge ruled the operators had to account for combustion emissions from the oil and gas they produce. That ruling left the project stranded.

The politics got no simpler. Labour won the 2024 general election promising to ban new North Sea drilling licences, and because Jackdaw had already been approved, nobody knew whether it counted as "new". When Andy Burnham took over the Labour government in July, the question sharpened: would he reconsent Jackdaw — and, separately, Rosebank? In October, he did.

What did the Prime Minister actually say?

Burnham said drilling at Jackdaw will "protect hundreds of jobs and help keep millions of homes warm this winter".

He framed it as pragmatism, not a reversal. "At a time when people are really struggling, it's right that we look in a responsible way at maximising the existing energy reserves we have in Britain," he said. "We're committed to moving towards renewable energy and reaching net zero by 2050. But even on our ambitious climate path, we'll still require oil and gas as part of our energy needs for decades to come."

In short, the government's line is that domestic gas beats imports while the transition runs.

How big is the prize — really?

The numbers depend on who's counting, and on what measure.

• Adura, the operator, says Jackdaw and Rosebank combined could deliver about 10 per cent of domestic gas production and 10 per cent of UK Continental Shelf oil output at peak.
• Government estimates put Jackdaw alone at roughly a 6 per cent boost to domestic gas production at its peak.
• Uplift, the anti-oil campaign group, says Jackdaw will supply about 2 per cent of total UK gas demand for roughly 10 years.

Those figures aren't directly contradictory — they measure different things — but the gap frames the whole debate.

Adura also commissioned a report warning that rejecting Jackdaw and other North Sea developments would cost the UK economy almost £10.8 billion over the next decade. Supporters add that with global gas supplies squeezed by restrictions on energy trade through the Strait of Hormuz, producing at home looks safer than importing. The simple takeaway: backers sell Jackdaw as energy security; critics call it a rounding error.

Jobs, and a £2 billion sweetener

In Aberdeen, where disposable income fell by almost 20 per cent between 2013 and 2023, many oil and gas workers see the project as a lifeline. But Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh has conceded the field will create just 27 jobs and secure 273 — far short of what supporters have implied.

Fahnbulleh also announced a new energy wealth fund, opening with a £2 billion down payment, to reinvest oil and gas revenues into the climate transition. The message: new fossil fuel approvals and climate commitments can coexist.

Environmentalists aren't buying it. Tessa Khan, executive director of Uplift, said: "Jackdaw will provide around just 2 per cent of our gas demand for roughly 10 years. It has been oversold and won't stop the overall decline in North Sea jobs as it will be largely unmanned and operated remotely." She added: "Labour's climate credibility is on the line. No new oil and gas fields are compatible with safe climate limits."

Green Party leader Zack Polanski went further, calling the approval "climate vandalism" and "a betrayal of all of our futures", noting the energy secretary herself has said it will make no difference to energy bills. A recent Savanta poll for climate group E3G found almost one-third of voters would be less likely to vote Labour if it approves more North Sea drilling.

What happens to Rosebank?

Jackdaw's consent does not clear Rosebank, the giant oilfield still under assessment. In mid-October, sources told the Guardian that Fahnbulleh is minded to reject it, because the Jackdaw rationale doesn't transfer.

"One is a gas field that caters for the domestic market, while the other is an oilfield that is mainly for export," Fahnbulleh said. "It is right that we judge each application in its own right, and it is absolutely critical that the decision is consistent with our climate obligations, our carbon budgets and the end destination we need to get to with the energy transition."

One caveat: even if she decides against Rosebank, the Prime Minister can overrule her.

The industry is celebrating Jackdaw; environmentalists see a blow to Britain's climate progress. The watch item now is Rosebank — and whether Burnham lets Fahnbulleh's verdict stand.