After months of delay, the government has taken a decision on one of the most difficult climate crisis/energy supply challenges on the table. It has approved the Jackdaw gasfield, east of Aberdeen. Peter Walker and Kiran Stacey have the story here.
Here is the government’s news release. And if you want to all the technical documents relating to the decision, you will find them here. At the last election, Labour said it would not approve new oil and gas licences for the North Sea, but that it would allow existing projects to go ahead.
But two projects that had been approved by the Tories – Jackdaw, and the Rosebank oilfield – were blocked by the courts who ordered a rethink, and Labour decided to treat them as existing projects, not brand new ones. But that did not mean Jackdaw and Rosebank were automatically going to be approved. Over the past 12 months or so, largely as a result of high global energy prices, the public and political debate has shifted, and pressure to allow more ongoing North Sea extraction got stronger.
Today’s decision did not come as a surprise. But the Rosebank decision will be a much tougher one because its carbon emissions are far higher than Jackdaw’s, and the environmental argument against it is stronger. In a statement, Andy Burnham described today’s decision as an example of the “pragmatic approach” he wants to take to energy policy.
He said: I welcome the energy secretary’s decision, which will protect hundreds of jobs and help keep millions of homes warm this winter. At a time when people are really struggling, it’s right that we look in a responsible way at maximising the existing energy reserves we have in Britain that could help. We’re committed to moving towards renewable energy and reaching net zero by 2050.
But even on our ambitious climate path, we’ll still require oil and gas as part of our energy needs for decades to come. That’s why we’re taking a pragmatic approach to the North Sea. We’re also establishing a new Energy Wealth Fund to invest in renewable energy, support the green transition and help reduce energy bills over the long-term.
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