(WO) – The UK has approved development of the Jackdaw gas field off northeast Scotland. The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) granted development and production consent to owner Adura on Oct. 21, after Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh reviewed the project’s environmental statement and agreed to the consent. According to the government, Jackdaw could start supplying gas to the UK as early as the end of October. It is expected to raise domestic gas production by about 6% at its peak over a field life of up to 11 years.
Jackdaw is the first major field consent to go through the UK’s revised environmental framework. That framework followed the Supreme Court’s 2024 Finch ruling, which requires operators to assess emissions from burning the oil and gas they produce. The government said Fahnbulleh concluded the project would not stop the UK from meeting its legally binding carbon budgets or its 2050 net-zero target. Because Jackdaw was already licensed, the approval is consistent with the government’s pledge not to issue new exploration licenses.
“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 project will support the UK’s energy security by providing domestically produced gas, generate tax revenues, safeguard supply chain jobs, use existing infrastructure, and have an emissions intensity well below the UK average,” said NSTA Chief Executive Stuart Payne.
The government also announced several other North Sea measures:
- Tieback cases: It asked the NSTA to consider urgent tieback cases near licensed fields before legislation on the new Transitional Energy Certificates is in place. Payne welcomed the step, saying “now is the time to move forward at pace.”
- North Sea Transition Deal: Talks with industry on refreshing the 2021 deal are beginning.
- Decommissioning: It launched a consultation on decommissioning complex infrastructure and formally asked Shell to submit its Brent decommissioning program, which has been under review since 2017.
- Energy Wealth Fund: Chancellor John Healey announced a new fund, starting with £2 billion, that will reinvest North Sea tax revenues in renewable and low-carbon energy.
The industry welcomed the approval but kept up its criticism of North Sea taxes. “Approving Jackdaw is the right decision, but this does not stop the damage being done to the North Sea. And it appears Rosebank remains stuck in political limbo,” an INEOS spokesperson said. The company urged the government to amend the Energy Profits Levy in the upcoming Budget, calling the 78% headline tax rate “punitive.”
About The Author
