Overview
- Ministers approved the Jackdaw North Sea gas field on Wednesday, ending years of legal uncertainty over a project first cleared under the previous government.
- Operators say Jackdaw lies about 150 miles east of Aberdeen and could be tied into the UK gas network within months, with peak output equivalent to roughly 40,000 barrels of oil‑equivalent per day and up to 11 years of production.
- The government framed the decision as a pragmatic step to raise domestic gas output and protect jobs, and announced a new Energy Wealth Fund with a reported £2 billion downpayment to reinvest fossil‑fuel revenues into the energy transition.
- Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh confirmed the Rosebank oil field will be decided separately and will take longer to assess, keeping that larger project under further review.
- Environmental groups and some Scottish politicians say approval breaks the spirit of Labour’s 2024 manifesto pledge against new North Sea licences, while ministers stress legal caution after a previous judicial challenge halted earlier consents.