What is happening with the Jackdaw and Rosebank gas and oil fields?
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By Angus Cochrane, Senior political journalist, BBC Scotland
Published 10 August 2026 Updated 33 minutes ago
The Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea has been allowed to start production after years of debates and legal wrangling - but a decision is yet to be taken on the Rosebank oil field off Shetland.
Industry bodies argue these sites could provide jobs and improve the UK's energy security as overseas conflicts threaten supply. Environmentalists insist that more drilling would be unconscionable, hindering efforts to cut planet-warming carbon emissions as deadly heatwaves and extreme weather affect billions across the globe.
They also claim starting production would not protect energy security and that transitioning sooner to greener technologies would be better for supporting jobs.
What are Jackdaw and Rosebank?
Jackdaw is a gas field located about 150 miles (241km) east of Aberdeen. The UK government, which has now given permission for production to begin, says it will start supplying gas from the end of this month.
Rosebank, about 80 miles (128km) north-west of Shetland, is Britain's largest untapped oil field, which would also produce some gas. It is scheduled to be operational by 2027 if approved.
Licences for the fields were granted by the then Conservative UK government in 2022 and 2023, sparking legal challenges from environmental groups. The Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled last year 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.
A judge ruled that more detailed climate assessments had to be published. These updated estimates were put out for consultation. The UK government then had to decide whether to re-approve the fields, with input from industry regulators.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham had previously said he would stick to Labour's promise not to issue new oil and gas licences while honouring existing ones.
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