‘That won’t lower our bills’: Greenpeace slams government for new gas field approval
Greenpeace has slammed the UK government’s decision to grant Shell a permit for a new gas field, saying it will fail to cut energy bills which are set to rise again this October.
The Jackdaw field, part of the major North Sea development, cleared its final regulatory hurdle yesterday, business and energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announced on Twitter.
“Approving Jackdaw is a desperate and destructive decision from Johnson’s government, and proves there’s no long-term plan,” Greenpeace political campaigner Ami McCarthy said.
“They’re handing out lucrative permits to the likes of Shell for a project that won’t start producing gas for years, that won’t lower our bills, but will create massive emissions causing deadly flooding and wildfires, and mass migration from people fleeing the climate crisis.”
The development has the potential to produce 6.5 per cent of Britain’s gas output, as it seeks to reduce its energy reliance on Russia, following its invasion of Ukraine.
However, Shell’s proposals were rejected on environmental grounds in October, weeks before the UK’s hosting of the United Nations’ landmark climate conference COP26.
Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres wrote on Twitter last month that “Investing in new fossil fuels infrastructure is moral and economic madness.”
McCarthy added that Greenpeace considers the approval of the gas project as “unlawful” and that the environmental group is looking into legal action to stop the development.