UK government approves Jackdaw gas field and says production will start this month
The approval ends years of legal wrangling and could supply gas to homes and businesses from this winter, officials said.
- On Wednesday, the UK government approved plans to begin drilling in the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea, ending months of speculation about the controversial project's future.
- Legal challenges from environmental campaigners previously overturned 2022 drilling approvals, while a 2025 UK Supreme Court ruling required developers to account for climate impacts before receiving fresh consent.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham defended the approval, stating it will "protect hundreds of jobs and help keep millions of homes warm this winter" and arguing the administration is taking a "pragmatic approach" to the North Sea.
- While some Labour MPs deemed the decision "long overdue," environmental advocates criticized the move as "climate vandalism," and Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh confirmed the Rosebank decision will take "a bit longer."
- The government insists the decision is "compatible with our legally binding climate commitments" and will not hinder the 2050 net zero target, maintaining the UK will require oil and gas for decades to come.
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98 Articles
Burnham Approves New North Sea Gas Drilling in ‘Act of Climate Vandalism’
Andy Burnham’s government has given fossil fuel giants Shell and Equinor permission to drill the undeveloped Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea. Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, who publicly opposed new drilling before taking on the role, is set to make the announcement from Aberdeen on Wednesday morning alongside chancellor John Healey. In 2022 Fahnbulleh […]
Last year, environmentalists came up with a complaint that the licenses for two energy projects in the North Sea would be lifted. Now, the British government is allowing drilling off the Scottish coast. Already in winter, the gas will supply households.
Protesters descend on Department of Energy after Labour's Jackdaw approval
Protesters from Fossil Free London have descended on the Department of Energy after the Labour Government confirmed the approval of the Jackdaw gas field.Gathering outside the headquarters in central London, demonstrators urged the Prime Minister to "stop Jackdaw" and "stop Rosebank", another oil and gas field under consideration.Protesters could be heard chanting: "Hey Andy, stop gas and oil. Keep that carbon in the soil."The site, off the coas…
Greens accuse Labour of ‘climate vandalism’ over Jackdaw gas field approval
The Green Party has accused Labour of “climate vandalism” after the government approved the Jackdaw gas field. Green leader Zack Polanski said the decision was “a betrayal of all of our futures” and that Labour had “abandoned all credibility in the fight against climate change”. The energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, agreed on Wednesday that the […]
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