Environmental Concerns Ignite As Regulator Approves $3.8 Billion Rosebank Oilfield Project

On Wednesday, a contentious large-scale oil and gas field project received approval.

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) announced that it has issued development and production consent for Rosebank, situated off the Scottish coast.

This decision comes subsequent to the acceptance of the Environmental Statement by Equinor and Ithaca Energy, the Norwegian company spearheading the initiative.

Prominent environmental activists, including Greta Thunberg, expressed vehement opposition to the project.

The Rosebank field, situated northwest of Shetland and harboring up to 350 million barrels of oil, stands as one of the largest untapped reserves in UK waters.

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas characterized the decision as “morally obscene” and an “act of environmental vandalism.” Furthermore, she stated, “It won’t improve energy security or lower bills – but it will shatter our climate commitments and demolish global leadership.”

But Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho said the development would make Britain less reliant on foreign energy. She stated, “We will not play politics with our energy security. Even the independent Climate Change Committee has said that in 2050, we will need oil and gas for a quarter of our energy.”

Coutinho posed a dire question, “The choice we face is this: do we shut down our own oil and gas leaving us reliant on foreign regimes? Do we lose 200,000 jobs across the UK? Do we import fuel with much higher carbon footprints instead? And lose billions in tax revenue?”

A spokesperson from NSTA remarked, “We have today approved the Rosebank Field Development Plan which allows the owners to proceed with their project. The FDP is awarded in accordance with our published guidance and taking net zero considerations into account throughout the project’s lifecycle.”

Equinor estimates that Rosebank has the potential to yield approximately 69,000 barrels of oil per day, representing approximately 8% of the UK’s projected daily output from 2026 to 2030. Additionally, the field has the capacity to produce 44 million cubic feet of gas daily.