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Jackdaw Gas Field Set for Approval Despite Legal Challenges
Confirmed
In Short: Approval for the Jackdaw gas field could come in mid-September, just before Parliament breaks for party conference season, despite legal challenges and environmental concerns.
Approval for the Jackdaw gas field could come in mid-September, just before Parliament breaks for party conference season, according to government and industry sources. The field was approved by the former Conservative government in 2022 but was delayed by a legal ruling from a Scottish court, which argued that consent was given without fully considering the climate impact.
Campaigners launched legal challenges after Jackdaw was approved in 2022 and when the Rosebank oil field off Shetland was given the green light in 2023. The Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled that Rosebank and Jackdaw had been unlawfully approved because the government had failed to take into account the climate impact of burning extracted oil and gas from the sites.
The energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, is expected to recommend approval for the Jackdaw field next week, according to people close to the decision. Formal approval could follow a week after her recommendation.
Ministers are also considering approval for the Rosebank oilfield, which could be approved later this year. The decision comes despite ongoing legal challenges and environmental concerns over the climate impact of new drilling projects in the North Sea.
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- Further details were still being reported.