The government is expected to grant environmental consent on Wednesday to the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea, according to reports on Tuesday evening from the Guardian, Bloomberg, Politico and The Scotsman, each citing its own sources.
The Guardian reported that Miatta Fahnbulleh, the energy secretary, and John Healey, the chancellor, will make the announcement in Aberdeen. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero declined to comment when approached by Bloomberg, and no formal consent has been published.
Approval would be the first major test of Andy Burnham's approach to North Sea oil and gas since he became prime minister on 20 July, and it sets him against climate campaigners who say no new fields are compatible with the UK's climate commitments. Jackdaw's original consent, granted in June 2022, was quashed by the Court of Session in January 2025.
Burnham promised earlier this summer, according to the Guardian, to take a "pragmatic approach" to the decision, saying in July: "There is a resource there." The paper also reported that Donald Trump had urged both Keir Starmer and Burnham to "open up the North Sea".
The field lies about 150 miles east of Aberdeen and is operated by Adura, the joint venture between Shell and Equinor. Its platform is designed to run without permanent crew, with four production wells tied back to the Shearwater hub.
The 2025 court ruling found the consents for Jackdaw and the Rosebank oil field unlawful because regulators had not assessed the emissions produced when the fuel is burned, known as scope 3 emissions. The judgment followed the Supreme Court's decision in the Finch case in June 2024. Construction was allowed to continue, but no gas can be extracted until a fresh consent is granted.
In July 2025 the offshore environmental regulator, OPRED, required Shell UK to submit a revised assessment covering downstream emissions. A public consultation on Jackdaw and Rosebank closed in August this year.
Tessa Khan, executive director of the campaign group Uplift, told the Guardian: "Labour's climate credibility is on the line. No new oil and gasfields are compatible with safe climate limits."
She disputed the field's economic value, saying: "Jackdaw will provide around just 2% of our gas demand for roughly 10 years." She argued that a largely unmanned platform would not halt the decline in North Sea jobs.
Industry figures measure something different. Shell has said Jackdaw would supply 6.5% of gas production from the UK Continental Shelf at its peak, a share of domestic output rather than of total demand, which includes imports. The company has said the field could supply 1.4 million homes.
An Adura spokesperson told MT Newswires in September that the platform is installed and, subject to consent, could deliver gas to British homes and businesses within weeks. The company said in a statement: "Together, Jackdaw and Rosebank represent a significant opportunity for the UK."
A DESNZ spokesperson said in September that the department had set no timeline for a decision. "Any decision will take into account all relevant evidence, including environmental assessments and public representations received during the consultation process," the spokesperson said.
The Guardian reported that Fahnbulleh's predecessor, Ed Miliband, spent months on the decision before he moved to the Foreign Office in July. Some Labour MPs have criticised the expected approval, according to Daily Business.
Uplift and Greenpeace UK brought the legal challenge that overturned the 2022 consent. A separate decision on Rosebank, which Adura is developing with Ithaca Energy, is still pending.
Join the Discussion
Have something to say? Join the conversation!
Sign in to share your thoughts and engage with other readers.
Sign In Create AccountNo comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this article!