Controversial £3 Billion Oilfield Off Scottish Coast Given Green Light by UK Government

Campaigners from Time for Change Argyll and Bute taking part in a protest against the Rosebank oilfield in Oban, Scotland, on June 10, 2023. PA

Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho has given the go-ahead for the development of a controversial new oilfield near the Shetland Islands despite massive opposition from green campaigners and the Scottish government.

Equinor—which is developing Rosebank along with Ithaca—said it will be able to produce 8 percent of Britain’s oil needs by 2030.

Ms. Coutinho—who replaced Grant Shapps as secretary of state for energy security and net zero last month—said, “We are investing in our world-leading renewable energy but, as the independent climate change committee recognise, we will need oil and gas as part of that mix on the path to net zero and so it makes sense to use our own supplies from North Sea fields such as Rosebank.”

She said, “The jobs and billions of pounds this is worth to our economy will enable us to have greater energy independence, making us more secure against tyrants like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.”

Campaigners like Just Stop Oil have been urging the government to call a halt to the exploitation of new oil and gas fields around Britain, and environmental campaigners including Greta Thunberg have voiced strong opposition to Rosebank.

Rosebank Will ‘Underpin our Energy Security’

But Ms. Coutinho said, “We will continue to back the UK’s oil and gas industry to underpin our energy security, grow our economy, and help us deliver the transition to cheaper, cleaner energy.”

The Rosebank field contains up to 350 million barrels of oil and is one of the largest untapped discoveries in British waters.

Equinor said the £3.1 billion field could produce 69,000 barrels of oil per day between 2026 and 2030 and produce 44 million cubic feet of gas every day.

It will create 450 permanent jobs and another 1,600 in construction.

Campaigners from Surfers Against Sewage taking part in a protest against the Rosebank oil field on the beach in Aberdeen, Scotland, on June 10, 2023. Andrew Perry/PA

But Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “I’m disappointed Rosebank has been given the go-ahead.”

He said: “We’ve raised concerns that the majority of what is extracted from Rosebank will go overseas, not remain in Scotland or the UK. We’re investing £500 million so workers and industry transition from fossil fuels to a net zero future.”

Mr. Yousaf said: “In the face of a climate catastrophe, the UK government have dropped their green pledges and committed to approving 100 new oil and gas licences. That isn’t climate leadership. It is climate denial.”

‘Scotland Will Remain on the Right Side of History’

“Scotland will remain on the right side of history and demonstrate climate leadership,” he added.

Scotland’s former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she agreed with Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, who has described the decision to go ahead with Rosebank as the “greatest act of environmental vandalism in my lifetime.”

Ms. Sturgeon wrote on X: “Also, by consuming scarce resources that could be going to renewables, it risks slowing the green transition and the jobs that come from it. That’s not in interests of those who work in oil and gas, they need that transition to happen at pace.”

The UK government’s regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority, has granted development and production consent.

The Labour Party has said it would not revoke Rosebank’s licence if it wins the next general election.

Shadow business and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News, “We don’t support Rosebank, we think the priority for the country should be transitioning away from fossil fuel partly because of the volatility of the price of fossil fuels.”

With a general election fast approaching, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is keen to set out a clear divide between his policies and those of Labour, which he claims will be more damaging to consumers and energy customers.

Last week Mr. Sunak rowed back on some of the net zero commitments made by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and delayed the banning of all new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035.

Mr. Sunak is seeking to profit from the disquiet among voters, and especially motorists, about the impact of net zero.

He had concrete proof in July when the Tories held on to Uxbridge and South Ruislip when they made a by-election a referendum on London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ policy.

PA Media contributed to this report.