UK government to make Jackdaw gas field announcement
The long-awaited decision about the controversial North Sea field is expected on Wednesday morning.
The UK government is expected to announce a long-awaited ruling on whether to approve the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea.
It is widely thought in Westminster that Jackdaw will get the green light, while a decision on the Rosebank oil field off Shetland will not be taken yet.
Whether to approve the two sites has become highly politically sensitive and has been delayed for several months.
Several Whitehall sources have told BBC News that the government will announce its decision on Jackdaw on Wednesday morning, with Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh expected to speak to MPs in the afternoon.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has repeatedly said there is a need for a "flexible" approach to energy and is believed to support drilling more where licences already exist in the North Sea.
Labour's 2024 manifesto promised not to grant any new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, while honouring existing ones such as Jackdaw.
Jackdaw, around 150 miles (241.4km) east of Aberdeen, is a gas field whose operators say could be linked to the UK network within months.
Rosebank, about 80 miles (128.7km) north-west of Shetland, is Britain's largest untapped oil field and would also produce some gas.
The disputed fields have been the focus of years of debate, legal disputes and public consultations, with the UK government weighing arguments from both industry groups and environmental campaigners.
Licences for the fields were issued by the Conservative UK government in 2022 and 2023, prompting legal challenges from environmental groups.
Last year, the Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled that Rosebank and Jackdaw had been approved unlawfully because the government had not considered the climate impact of burning the oil and gas extracted from the sites.
Environmentalists say more drilling would be unconscionable and would hinder efforts to reduce planet-warming carbon emissions as deadly heatwaves and extreme weather hit people around the world.
They also argue that beginning production would not improve energy security and that moving sooner to greener technologies would be better for supporting jobs.
Industry groups say production at Rosebank and Jackdaw would create jobs and strengthen the UK's energy security as conflicts overseas threaten supply.