UK government set to make long-awaited announcement on Jackdaw gas field: Reports

The British government will announce its long-awaited decision on whether to approve the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea, according to media reports Tuesday. It is widely believed in Westminster that Jackdaw will be approved but that a decision on the Rosebank oil field off Shetland will not yet be made, the BBC reported. Multiple Whitehall sources told the British broadcaster that the government would make an announcement on Jackdaw on Wednesday morning, with Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh expected to address lawmakers later.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has repeatedly touched on the need for a "flexible" approach to energy and is believed to be in favor of more drilling where licenses already exist in the North Sea. Jackdaw, about 150 miles east of Aberdeen, is a gas field that its operators say could be connected to the UK network within months, while Rosebank, about 80 miles northwest of Shetland, is Britain's largest untapped oil field, which would also produce some gas.

The controversial projects have faced years of debate, legal wrangling and public consultations. Licenses for the fields were granted by the Conservative government in 2022 and 2023, prompting legal challenges from environmentalists. Last year, the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Scotland, ruled that Rosebank and Jackdaw had been unlawfully approved because the government had failed to take into account the climate impact of burning oil and gas extracted from the sites.

The Times reported in July that Burnham and Fahnbulleh were considering approving oil and gas production at the Jackdaw and Rosebank sites in an effort to help reduce energy costs ahead of winter. Following reports over the summer that Burnham’s government could take a more pragmatic approach to domestic oil and gas production, US President Donald Trump praised the move in posts on Truth Social. He said: "The People of Aberdeen, in Scotland, are dancing in the streets because the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has stated that he will be opening up, all the way, the invaluable North Sea Oil!"

Meanwhile, climate group Fossil Free London will stage a demonstration at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on Wednesday, with participants dressed as giant receipts showing the predicted climate cost in human lives if the government approves the Jackdaw gas and Rosebank oil field projects.