The UK government approved production from the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea, with Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh saying first gas could flow by the end of this month. The field, operated by Shell and Norwegian state firm Equinor through joint venture Adura, sits 150 miles east of Aberdeen and is expected to supply about 6% of UK gas production, equivalent to powering 1.4 million homes. Over its 11-year lifespan, the government estimates Jackdaw will add £2.9bn to the economy and support hundreds of jobs.
Fahnbulleh said the gas would reach homes and businesses this month but acknowledged it would not lower energy bills this winter. She framed the decision as compatible with UK climate commitments, saying it would "help minimise the UK's use of imported higher emission fuels as we continue our transition to renewables and nuclear". The government also announced an energy wealth fund with initial £2bn in funding sourced from oil and gas extraction taxes, to invest in renewable and low-carbon energy projects.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the government of "dithering" over Jackdaw and urged Labour to repeal its ban on new oil and gas licences. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the previous Conservative government had "messed up" the original approval decision by not adequately considering climate obligations. Burnham also said he had asked the chancellor and energy secretary to examine whether standing charges could be removed from gas bills.
Scotland's First Minister John Swinney welcomed the decision and called for economic benefits to flow to Scotland rather than the UK Treasury. Business leaders in Aberdeen and unions supported the approval. However, environmental campaigners opposed it. Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer called it "climate vandalism". Greenpeace co-executive director Areeba Hamid said approving Jackdaw was "the wrong decision" for energy bills, security and climate action. Oxfam accused the government of "drilling straight through the UK's climate commitments".
A separate decision on whether production can begin at Rosebank, the UK's largest known untapped oil field off Shetland, remains pending. In January 2025, Edinburgh's Court of Session had ruled that consent for both Jackdaw and Rosebank had been granted unlawfully, finding developers should have provided more detailed climate impact accounts during permitting.