Jackdaw approved: Burnham defends gas field decision as Badenoch demands end to licence ban
The North Sea field east of Aberdeen could produce its first gas by the end of the month. John Swinney said the benefits must be felt in Scotland, while the Scottish Greens called it climate vandalism.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham. · Photograph: House of Commons (CC BY 3.0)
The UK government has approved production from the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea, with ministers saying the first gas could flow by the end of October.
Jackdaw lies about 150 miles east of Aberdeen and is run by Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Equinor. The company says it will provide about 6% of UK gas production, enough for 1.4 million homes. Gas will be processed at the Shearwater platform and piped to the St Fergus terminal in Aberdeenshire.
The government says the field will protect hundreds of jobs and add £2.9 billion to the economy over its 11-year life. It also announced a new energy wealth fund, starting with £2 billion from oil and gas tax revenue, to invest in renewable and low-carbon projects.
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said the decision was compatible with the UK's climate commitments but admitted it would not lower bills this winter.
At Prime Minister's Questions, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Andy Burnham of dithering and urged him to scrap Labour's ban on new oil and gas licences. Burnham said the previous Conservative government had messed up the original decision by ignoring its climate impact.
First Minister John Swinney said he hoped the decision would bring certainty to the north east, and that the economic benefits should be felt in Scotland. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay called it a victory for oil and gas workers.
Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer described the approval as climate vandalism, and Greenpeace and Oxfam also criticised it. A decision on the Rosebank oil field west of Shetland has yet to be made.