UK Approves Jackdaw Gas Field in the North Sea; First Gas Expected This Month, Peak Output to Lift Domestic Production by About 6%
LONDON — The UK government approved production at the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea on Wednesday, October 21. Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh agreed that the regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), could grant development and production consent, which World Oil reported was granted on October 21 following an environmental review led by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED). The government said Jackdaw will begin supplying gas to the UK from the end of this month.
In its statement, the government said Jackdaw is expected to increase domestic gas production by around 6% at its peak, supporting UK gas supply over a lifespan of up to 11 years, "boosting our energy security, protecting hundreds of jobs, and adding an estimated GBP 2.9 billion to the UK economy." The statement also announced a new Energy Wealth Fund, announced by Chancellor John Healey, which will use tax revenues from North Sea oil and gas to invest in renewable and low-carbon projects, starting with an initial GBP 2 billion injection.
"Following careful consideration of all relevant factors I have agreed that the regulator can grant consent for gas to be produced at Jackdaw, which will begin to supply the UK with gas from this winter thanks to the highly skilled and vital North Sea workers," Fahnbulleh said. "This decision will support the country's energy security with homegrown gas this winter and help minimise the UK's use of imported higher emission fuels as we continue our transition to renewables and nuclear. The decision is compatible with our legally binding climate commitments, and we remain resolute in ending new licences for oil and gas and achieving net zero by 2050."
The operator, Adura, is a 50/50 joint venture between Shell UK and Equinor UK. Adura said Jackdaw is a GBP 2.1 billion investment whose peak output could supply enough gas to heat the equivalent of about 1.4 million UK homes. "Jackdaw represents a significant prize in its own right: GBP 2.1 billion of investment and enough gas to heat the equivalent of around 1.4 million UK homes at peak production," Adura CEO Neil McCulloch said.
Jackdaw lies in the North Sea east of Aberdeen. Wood Mackenzie estimates its reserves at about 68 million barrels of oil equivalent, and The Times described it as the UK's largest known untapped gas reservoir. Jackdaw and the larger Rosebank oil field were first approved by the previous Conservative government in 2022, but a Scottish court overturned both licences after environmental challenges; a judicial review in January 2025 suspended Jackdaw's original consent after the court found that emissions from burning the field's gas (scope 3 emissions) had not been fully assessed, as the Supreme Court's 2024 Finch ruling requires. Fresh public consultations closed in August this year. Fahnbulleh said a decision on Rosebank will be made separately and will take "a bit longer"; McCulloch said Adura hopes Rosebank's approval will now follow.
Environmental groups condemned the approval. Greenpeace UK's Ami McCarthy called it evidence of "the toxic grip fossil fuel lobbyists still hold over our energy policy" and said the project would create only 27 full-time jobs, The Independent reported. Fahnbulleh acknowledged on BBC Radio Scotland that the new gas would not lower household bills this winter. "No, it won't," she said, according to The Independent. "The key consideration was an energy crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East. Energy security is really important."
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：北海油气钻井平台（资料图）。照片：Gary Bembridge，CC BY 2.0，经Wikimedia Commons。An oil and gas drilling rig in the North Sea (file photo). Photo: Gary Bembridge, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
