Andy Burnham to approve controversial Jackdaw North Sea gas field 'within weeks'

Andy Burnham to approve controversial Jackdaw North Sea gas field 'within weeks' The PM and new energy secretary are set to take on critics by approving gas field - but alongside green projects Andy Burnham is set to give approve the controversial Jackdaw North Sea gas field within weeks. Reports say the PM will give the go-ahead for drilling, but alongside a wave a green energy projects. The expected approval of the field - off the cost of Aberdeen - has been brought condemnation from environmental campaign groups, which argue it makes a mockery of the government’s net zero ambitions. However, it comes against a backdrop of concerns about supplies of gas amid the ongoing war in the Middle East, and soaring household energy bills. According to reports, Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh is likely to make an announcement on September 15 and Mr Burnham will then confirm the news during a visit to Aberdeen. The decision on a second controversial North Sea project, the Rosebank oil field, is expected to be made at a later date. Both projects were approved by the last Conservative government but were struck down by the courts after a challenge from environmental campaigners, with ministers told they had not fully considered their environmental impact. Asked if approval of Jackdaw was imminent, a No 10 spokeswoman told reporters: “I don’t have an update for you basically. It’s a quasi-judicial decision.” The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said: “We do not comment on speculation”. Andrew Bowie, Tory shadow energy secretary, said approving the Jackdaw gas field was “common sense”. “Labour’s ban on new oil and gas licences has been disastrous for the North East and cost thousands of workers their jobs as they continue to dither over a decision,” he said. Jackdaw and Rosebank are operated by Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Norwegian energy firm Equinor, with Aberdeen’s Ithaca also owning 20% of Rosebank. Adura says Jackdaw could produce 6% of the UK’s gas output at its peak, although environmental groups put the figure at 2%. Friends of the Earth Scotland said the UK Government must not “cave in to fossil fuel company pressure”. The group warned that the burning of more fossil fuels would worsen extreme climate change-related events such as heatwaves. Caroline Rance, head of campaigns for the group, said: “New fossil fuels means deadly new climate disasters like the devastating floods in Nepal or the extreme heatwaves that have killed nearly 3,000 people in the UK this summer. “It is terrifying that the UK Government is considering caving to pressure from oil and gas lobbyists, and listening to their lies rather than looking at the evidence and prioritising our collective safety. “New fossil fuels can never be compatible with our climate commitments. Both Jackdaw and Rosebank must be rejected once and for all.” Tessa Khan, executive director of environmental group Uplift, said further drilling in the North Sea would “do nothing” to cut energy bills in the UK and make “no meaningful difference to UK energy supply”. “After 50 years of drilling, the UK has now burned most of its gas and the majority of what’s left in the basin is oil, which is largely exported,” Khan said. “Jackdaw, a relatively small gas field, would - optimistically and assuming none of its gas is exported - provide just 2% of UK gas demand over its roughly 10-year lifetime. “A new oil field on the scale of Rosebank, which is overwhelmingly oil for export, is fundamentally incompatible with safe climate limits and the UK’s international commitments. “The science is clear that the world already has far more oil and gas than can ever be safely burned if we are to limit warming.” Industry body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) has said Rosebank and Jackdaw would support a peak of more than 3,500 jobs during construction, and 880 jobs externally throughout during their lifespans. A spokesperson for Adura: “With the conclusion of public consultation on the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields, we now await a government decision on consent to allow the two projects to move forward to production. Together, Jackdaw and Rosebank represent a significant opportunity for the UK. They can provide 10% of our gas production, 10% of UKCS oil output and contribute over £28billion in value to the economy, supporting over 3,500 jobs at peak construction. “The projects represent total investment of £10.8 billion, unlocking £1.4 billion in tax revenues by the end of this Parliament, rising to £3.8 billion before the end of the next Parliament in 2034. “Jackdaw and Rosebank will be among the lowest emissions oil and gas developments in the UK Continental Shelf, itself one of the most highly-regulated and lowest emissions basins anywhere in the world.”