The British government is expected to approve the development of the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea. The decision is to be announced in Aberdeen by the Minister for Energy and Carbon Neutrality Miata Fanbouleh and the Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healy.
Jackdaw is located about 240 kilometers east of Aberdeen. The project is operated by Adura - a joint venture between Shell and Norway's Equinor. At peak production, the field could provide about 6% of the UK's natural gas production, the operator says. Some of the infrastructure has already been built, with the platform due to be installed in October 2025.
On 14 October, Fanbouleh said a decision on Jackdaw was “inevitable”, while the Rosebank oilfield would take longer. However, the British government had not officially confirmed the previously announced approval before the expected announcement.
Court ruling forces new assessment
The project had already been granted permission by the previous Conservative government, but the procedure was challenged in Scotland. The court overturned the consent in 2025 after ruling that the impact assessment had failed to take into account emissions from the subsequent flaring of the extracted gas.
Following the court ruling, Adura provided further information on the so-called Scope 3 emissions. Production cannot begin until new regulatory approval is granted.
The company says Jackdaw could start supplying gas to the UK grid within months of final approval. According to figures cited by British media, the field is designed to provide gas for around 1.4 million households, although the actual share depends on total consumption and imports.
Environmentalists warn of climate risk
Environmental groups including Greenpeace and Uplift are calling for the project to be stopped. They argue that the new production will not significantly reduce energy bills and could call into question the UK's climate commitments.
“Jackdaw is overvalued and will not stop the overall decline in jobs in the North Sea“, said Tessa Khan, chief executive of Uplift.According to the organisation, the field will provide about 2% of the country's total gas consumption for about ten years. Supporters of the project say that local production will reduce dependence on imports and the gas will flow directly into the UK grid.
The decision on Jackdaw will be separate from that on Rosebank - one of the largest undeveloped oil fields in the UK's North Sea. London has not yet set a date for a final decision on the second project.
Sources: theguardian.com, news.sky.com, spglobal.com