UK clears major gas field for production despite climate concerns

The government has paired its North Sea approval with a new fund for cleaner energy, while critics question whether the project will deliver meaningful benefits for households.MANCHESTER, England (CN) — Britain approved production at the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea on Wednesday, backing the biggest gas field to receive approval in a decade despite warnings from climate campaigners that it will do little to lower household energy bills.The decision ends nearly two years of legal uncertainty over the field, which lies about 150 miles east of Aberdeen, Scotland. Discovered in 2005, the field is operated by Adura, a joint venture formed by Shell and Norway’s Equinor.It also follows repeated calls from U.S. President Donald Trump for Britain to expand oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.The government expects Jackdaw to increase domestic gas production by around 6% at peak output and supply gas for up to 11 years.Jim Watson, a professor of energy policy at University College London, said the project was unlikely to make much difference to British consumers.“The decision to go ahead with Jackdaw will make very little difference to U.K. energy security,” Watson said. “It is very unlikely to make an impact on U.K. gas prices and household bills because gas is internationally traded, and the Jackdaw field is relatively small.”The approval comes as Britain faces pressure to balance volatile energy markets with its legally binding commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.Alongside the decision, the government announced an Energy Wealth Fund intended to channel money from North Sea oil and gas into renewable and low-carbon energy projects.Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said the decision would support domestic energy supplies this winter while allowing Britain to continue its transition toward renewable and nuclear power.“This decision is compatible with our legally binding climate commitments, and we remain resolute in ending new licenses for oil and gas and achieving net zero by 2050,” she said.The field is already licensed, meaning the approval does not breach the Labour government’s commitment to stop issuing new licenses for exploration in new fields.Prime Minister Andy Burnham welcomed the decision, saying the country must make responsible use of existing energy reserves while expanding cleaner sources of power.The government estimates Jackdaw will add 2.9 billion pounds (about $3.9 billion) to the U.K. economy and help protect hundreds of jobs.The government also announced an initial 2 billion pounds (about $2.7 billion) for the Energy Wealth Fund. It says investment in renewable and low-carbon power should reduce the frequency with which gas sets electricity prices, helping households become less exposed to swings in international energy markets.Climate impact under scrutinyJackdaw was approved by the previous Conservative government in 2022, but environmental campaigners successfully challenged the decision in court.Following a 2024 Supreme Court ruling requiring environmental assessments to account for emissions created when extracted oil and gas are burned, the original approval was ruled unlawful.Watson said gas production can have lower emissions but warned most emissions occur when gas is burned in homes and power plants.“In principle, production from Jackdaw can go ahead within the U.K.’s legislated carbon budgets and targets,” he said. “But the more gas we use for longer, the more action will be required in other sectors to meet these budgets and targets.”Greenpeace UK, which led the legal challenge, condemned Wednesday’s decision.Ami McCarthy, the organization’s head of politics, said the field would not reduce energy bills or meaningfully improve energy security.“Approving Jackdaw shows the toxic grip fossil fuel lobbyists still hold over our energy policy,” McCarthy said, adding it will “generate record profits for Shell and Equinor while supercharging the climate chaos hitting families here and abroad.”The Green Party also denounced the approval as “climate vandalism.”The government maintains the project is compatible with Britain’s emissions limits. It argues domestic gas can help reduce reliance on imported fuels while providing time to develop cleaner sources of energy.Unite, the union representing offshore workers, backed the decision but said the government must use the additional time to create secure jobs in emerging clean industries.“We simply cannot let go of one rope until we have hold of another,” Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said.Watson said Jackdaw would not change the long-term decline of oil and gas production in the North Sea. The government’s central challenge, he said, is to manage the economic and energy security consequences of that decline while moving toward renewable energy sources.Decision on larger oil field pending The decision leaves the government facing a separate choice over Rosebank, a substantially larger oil field west of the Shetland Islands.Estimates of lifetime emissions put Jackdaw at around 36 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (about 39.7 million tons) and Rosebank at around 250 million tonnes, highlighting the climate stakes of the government’s wider North Sea policy.Fahnbulleh has not yet announced whether Rosebank will be approved.The Jackdaw decision came the same day the United Nations Environment Program warned that global greenhouse gas emissions must fall 18% by 2030 and 45% by 2035, compared with 2025 levels, to make it possible to return global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels by the end of the century.Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads