Oil and gas industry urges PM to approve controversial North Sea developments

The oil and gas industry has urged Andy Burnham to approve two controversial North Sea developments as a public consultation on the UK's largest undeveloped oil field closes.

The Rosebank oil field, 80 miles northwest of Shetland, and the Jackdaw gas field, east of Aberdeen, are awaiting a formal decision from the government after a previous approval by a Conservative administration in 2023 was quashed by the Scottish courts.

The projects have become a lightning rod for debate about the UK's energy security, the pace of the energy transition and the government's commitment to climate targets.

Supporters of the projects say that domestic production of oil and gas is economically and environmentally preferable to importing fossil fuels the UK will continue to consume even as it transitions to renewable power.

Opponents argue that any new fossil fuel extraction will put the UK in breach of its net zero commitments and do little to reduce customer bills.

With consultations on both Rosebank and Jackdaw now concluded, developers Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Norwegian national energy company Equinor, said the projects will deliver economic benefits to the UK.

"Rosebank and Jackdaw are nationally significant projects," said chief executive Neil McCulloch. "Together, they can provide more domestically produced energy, support high-quality jobs and apprenticeships, generate substantial economic activity and tax revenues, and give the UK's world-class energy supply chain confidence for the future."

The Scottish Conservatives said the decision would be the difference between "life and death" for North Sea industry, while Offshore Energies UK, which represents wind power generators as well as the oil and gas industry, called on the Government to be "honest" about the UK's energy demands.

"The reality is that oil and gas still provide around 75% of the UK's energy, keeping our cars moving, planes flying, homes warm and industries running," said chief executive David Whitehouse.

"If we do not produce this oil and gas here with lower emissions under one of the most tightly regulated regimes in the world, we do not end demand.

"It just means more imported oil and gas - often with a higher carbon footprint, while more jobs, taxes and industrial value are shifted overseas. The government must be honest about this."

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Environmental groups Greenpeace and Uplift have rallied in opposition to the developments, leading the court challenge that saw the courts rule the original approval of Rosebank and Jackdaw unlawful.

Both projects have had to be resubmitted to regulators, accounting not just for carbon emissions produced in construction, but by the fossil fuels extracted.

Robert Palmer, deputy director at Uplift, said: "The case for Rosebank has completely collapsed. The science shows that the world already has far more oil and gas than can be burned safely if we want to maintain a liveable climate, the economics show it won't lower bills or make Britain more energy secure, and the summer's record heatwaves and devastating wildfires have made the consequences of fossil fuel dependence impossible to ignore.

"Enough is enough. Burnham needs to look out of the window and acknowledge that this project will make the climate crisis worse and do nothing but rip off Britain."

(c) Sky News 2026: Oil and gas industry urges PM to approve controversial North Sea developments