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Government expected to announce decision on Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea - follow live
Badenoch urges PM to overturn ban on new licences as gas drilling gets go-ahead at Jackdaw
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Government approves drilling at Jackdaw gas field after years of arguments
It was widely expected the government would approve drilling at Jackdaw gas field, but the decision has taken years regardless. The North Sea project was approved by the Conservative government in 2022, but halted after a legal challenge by Greenpeace over environmental concerns, with a court rulin…
the-independent.com
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Jackdaw gas field approved as Government seeks to improve energy security
the-independent.com
UK greenlights previously banned North Sea gas project sought by Trump
washingtonexaminer.com
UK approves new gas field in the North Sea
cnn.com
Aberdonians welcome approval for Jackdaw
We've been asking people on the streets of Aberdeen, the former oil capital of Europe, what they think about the government's approval of the Jackdaw gas field. Here's what some of them told us: Maria Bosher, 59, describes it as "good news". "Something that should have been approved before now," sh…
theguardian.com
Political parties react to government's approval of drilling at Jackdaw
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has backed the decision but accuses the government of "faffing about". Green Party leader in England and Wales Zack Polanski says the decision is "climate vandalism" and a "betrayal of all of our futures". The Scottish Greens say the PM has "continued to devastate…
What could the Jackdaw decision mean for energy security?
By Ben Chu, policy and analysis correspondent, and Nicholas Barrett The government has described the approval of the Jackdaw gas field as "boosting our energy security". The UK imports around half of the natural gas it uses - most comes via pipeline from Norway but it also relies on imports of liqu…
'Flying in the face of all evidence': Labour MPs cite concerns on Jackdaw decision
The House of Commons statement on today's Jackdaw decision gave Labour MPs an opportunity to scrutinise the move which the government itself admitted could damage the country's climate reputation. While several party members have voiced their support for the decision, Labour MP Chris Ward said he w…
'It pushes my hard work away,' says conservation worker unhappy with Jackdaw decision
Conservation worker Lois Clark says she’s "really angry" about the government’s decision to allow drilling at Jackdaw gas field. The 21-year-old, who works restoring peatlands in Lancashire, says she feels "let down by our government" – especially after wildfires affected peatlands across the count…
Is using Jackdaw gas cleaner than importing from Norway?
Neil McCulloch, the chief executive of Adura which operates Jackdaw, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that production from the field would emit around 8kg of CO2e for every barrel of oil equivalent produced, on a par with gas piped from Norway, the UK’s biggest supplier. That figure only accounts…
A ray of light on a grey and wet day in Aberdeen?
Aberdeen is known as the Granite City and is in the grip of a grey and rainy day. However, the energy industry in the north east of Scotland has welcomed today's decision to approve the Jackdaw gas field as a much-needed ray of light. Jackdaw is in the North Sea off the coast of Aberdeen, which bec…
Swinney asks Energy Wealth Fund to be ring-fenced for north-east Scotland
Scotland's first minister has asked for the UK government's new Energy Wealth Fund to be ring-fenced for the north-east of Scotland - and called for a new debate on establishing a sovereign wealth fund. John Swinney outlined his demands in a letter to the prime minister on the day the UK government…
the-independent.com
'What's the long-term plan?' asks UN executive, after Jackdaw decision
As we reported earlier, this decision comes on the same day that the UN Environment Programme (Unep) warned that the world will now breach the 1.5C (34.7F) global warming limit, at least temporarily, after "decades of insufficient climate action" - more on that here. Inger Andersen, UN under-secret…
Jackdaw will hit UK climate reputation, government admits
In its own decision document, the government acknowledges that approving Jackdaw could damage the country's standing on climate. Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh gave "moderate adverse weight" to the potential impact on the UK’s role as a climate leader, the same weight she gave the field’s emiss…
Jackdaw approved after years of delay: What to know
If you’re just joining us now, here’s a recap of the government's announcement that it has approved drilling at the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea - and the reaction that's come flooding in since:
the-independent.com
2 more NewsBreak articles
Jackdaw gas field approved as Government seeks to improve energy security
the-independent.com
Jackdaw gas field approval triggers backlash from environmentalists
the-independent.com
Trump: Jackdaw approval is 'great news for wealth and prosperity of the UK'
US President Donald Trump has said the government's decision to approve drilling at the Jackdaw gas field is "great news for the wealth and prosperity of the United Kingdom and the wonderful region of Aberdeen". In a post on Truth Social, Trump says the UK "should go FULL BLAST" with drilling in th…
the-independent.com
'Get Britain drilling,' urges shadow energy secretary
Andrew Bowie, the Conservative MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, has accused the government of dither and delay. Bowie, who is also the shadow energy secretary, says they need to show they are "serious about jobs and British business" and clear the way for more offshore drilling. "Approve R…
Jackdaw is bad but Rosebank would be a 'disaster', campaigners say
Climate campaigners protesting outside the Department of Energy say that although they're "appalled" at the Jackdaw decision, a bigger "disaster" could be on the way. The government is yet to make a decision on Rosebank, which is the UK's largest-known untapped oil field, and also sits in the North…
Energy minister making statement in Commons on Jackdaw
Energy minister Michael Shanks is now giving a statement to the Commons about today's Jackdaw decision - you can watch live above. Just before he begins his remarks, he gets an angry telling-off from Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, saying today's announcement should have been made in the Commons first rathe…
Burnham and Badenoch's Jackdaw disagreement is about pace not direction
“Faff about” and “mess up” were the two punchy quotes that summed up the exchanges between the prime minister and the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch about the approval of drilling at the Jackdaw gas field. For Badenoch, the argument is one grounded in accusing the government of taking too long t…
Badenoch and Burnham clash over Jackdaw at PMQs
At Prime Minister's Questions, Badenoch uses her first question to thank the PM for "finally" approving Jackdaw. But she accuses the government of dithering over the decision, saying the Conservative government first approved it in 2022. She asks Burnham whether he'll overturn Labour's ban on new o…
Not an explicit thumbs up or thumbs down from the SNP
In its official statement on Jackdaw, the Scottish government does not explicitly give the UK government decision the thumbs up or down. It welcomes the stability and certainty the announcement could provide and criticises the previous Conservative government for decisions that were successfully ch…
the-independent.com
'Too early to tell' how much Energy Wealth Fund will generate - Healey
Chancellor John Healey has been speaking to broadcasters from Aberdeen, where the owner of Jackdaw is headquartered. He addresses the new Energy Wealth Fund announced today, which will invest the tax revenue from Jackdaw into the "green transition". "The proceeds of this oil and gas coming ashore n…
US ambassador praises UK for 'moving forward with Jackdaw'
We're now getting some reaction from the US, as Warren Stephens, the American ambassador to the UK says he welcomes the UK "moving forward" with Jackdaw. He says: “Energy security means taking charge of your own energy." President Donald Trump previously urged the UK to increase drilling in the Nor…
Burnham heads to PMQs where Jackdaw decision may feature
Over in the House of Commons, Andy Burnham is about to face MPs for Prime Minister's Questions. We don't know what Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch or the backbench MPs who will be granted questions will ask, but we'll bring you any updates that may arise on today's Jackdaw decision. We have a sep…
the-independent.com
Jackdaw is a complex project, much like the political argument around the development
When I visited the Jackdaw platform this summer, workers were racing towards a deadline of 1 October for production to begin. There are now a few final procedures to be carried out which had to wait until consent was granted, but production should be under way within weeks. Jackdaw is a complex and…
Britain hasn't moved fast enough to end reliance on oil and gas, Lib Dems say
The Liberal Democrats say the decision to move forward with oil and gas extraction at Jackdaw "during a climate crisis" is "proof that Britain hasn’t moved anywhere near fast enough” to reduce its reliance on oil and gas. The party’s energy security and net zero spokesperson, Pippa Heylings, says t…
Will the approval of Jackdaw mean lower gas bills?
By Ben Chu, policy and analysis correspondent, and Tom Edgington Jackdaw is one of the largest unexploited gas fields in the North Sea. However, most experts don’t expect the extra gas produced from it to translate into significantly cheaper bills for consumers. That’s because it will be sold at Eu…
Little pushback from Labour MPs on Jackdaw so far
So far - and we should stress it is still early in the day - there is little pushback from Labour MPs about this decision. Plenty are supportive. Henry Tufnell from the Industry First Group of MPs said the government "has seen sense." "Opening up Jackdaw will protect British jobs, enhance energy se…
Charities accuse government of undermining climate commitments with Jackdaw decision
Charities have been reacting to the government’s decision to allow new gas to be extracted from Jackdaw in the North Sea. Conservation group Oceana UK accuses the government of undermining “UK climate leadership for gas that won’t even lower our bills”. Oxfam, meanwhile, says the government has “dr…
theguardian.com
Gas field approval comes as UN warns 1.5C global warming limit will be breached
The timing is uncomfortable for the government. Jackdaw was approved on the same day the UN Environment Programme (Unep) warned that the world will now breach the 1.5C (34.7F) global warming limit, at least temporarily, after "decades of insufficient climate action". Unep’s annual Emissions Gap rep…
Climate activists protest outside government building
Protesters have gathered outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in Westminster this morning to condemn the government's decision to approve gas extraction from the Jackdaw field in the North Sea. Fossil Free London organised the demonstration. People could be seen holding placards…
Unions welcome decision, citing jobs and energy security
Unions are among those reacting to the Jackdaw decision. Unite argued for the Jackdaw approval, and this morning general secretary Sharon Graham reiterates that the UK cannot have a "jobless transition" to renewable energy. She also says that although the union supports net zero, it cannot "abandon…
