Drilling at North Sea's Jackdaw gas field given the go-ahead
A decision on the Rosebank oil field off Shetland will take longer
Last updated 14 hours ago
Plans to start drilling at the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea have been approved by the UK Government.
The decision ends months of speculation about the future of the project.
The field's owner, Adura, said it could deliver around six per cent of UK North Sea gas production.
Jackdaw is one of two projects, alongside the Rosebank oil field off Shetland, which were approved by the previous Conservative government.
Both were approved for drilling licences in June 2022 but that was overturned by the Scottish courts after a challenge from environmental campaigners.
It followed a UK Supreme Court ruling that developers had to account for the climate impact of burning fossil fuels in their planning applications.
Fresh public consultations on the proposals took place this year and closed in August.
Rosebank decision still to come
A decision on Rosebank, the largest untapped oil field in the North Sea, is being made separately.
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said it would take "a bit longer".
The decisions are seen as a key test for Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who came to power in the summer.
Mr Burnham previously said he would "take a pragmatic approach when it comes to the North Sea".
He has faced pressure from environmental groups to "stick to the spirit of Labour's manifesto commitment" and refuse consent for both projects.
Labour's 2024 manifesto committed to issuing no new oil and gas licences for the North Sea.
Supporters of Jackdaw and Rosebank within the party have argued neither is a new fossil fuel field, because work to tap them was already under way before Labour came to power.