Healey’s Budget prices in wave of fresh North Sea drilling Exclusive John Healey’s Budget has assumed the government will approve drilling projects that produce more than a billion barrels of oil and gas, meaning ministers will face a hole in the public finances if they fail to green-light new North Sea extraction. In its scorecard for the Chancellor’s maiden fiscal event, the Office for Budget Responsibility [...]
With Jackdaw approved, what’s next for the North Sea? Analysis A lot has happened since 1 June 2022, the date when ministers first granted permission to tap the Jackdaw gas field. The Conservatives were halfway through their ill-fated final term of three. Kwasi Kwarteng was the business secretary, with equally ill-fated aspirations for higher office. And the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero – [...]
UK government approves Jackdaw production in North Sea boost Energy A major gas field in the North Sea has been re-approved by the government following years of legal rows with environment campaigners. The Jackdaw site, a large offshore natural gas field 150 miles east of Aberdeen, has received the official stamp of approval from the government and is expected to supply gas to the UK [...]
Burnham complains Jackdaw and Rosebank approval delayed by ‘government process’ October 14, 2026 Approval for more oil and gas drilling at the North Sea sites Jackdaw and Rosebank have been delayed by “government process” and lengthy bureaucratic wrangling, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said. Burnham told MPs that he would take a “pragmatic approach” on oil and gas drilling amid calls from energy bosses for drilling to go [...]
UK ‘uninvestable’ if North Sea projects are blocked October 7, 2026 The UK will be uninvestable in the eyes of most energy companies if the government blocks the Jackdaw and Rosebank oilfields in the North Sea, the boss of Norway’s state-run oil and gas firm has warned. Equinor chief Anders Opedal said his firm could pull out of future projects in the UK if the two [...]
Ratcliffe’s INEOS calls on Labour to reopen North Sea drilling October 1, 2026 The chemical group owned by billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has urged the government to reopen the North Sea for drilling as it lashes out at its latest energy cost scheme for businesses. INEOS, which was founded by Ratcliffe in 1998, said Labour’s British Industrial Competitiveness scheme (BICS) fails to address UK industries relying “far more heavily [...]
Burnham’s North Sea ‘pragmatism’ vow leaves energy industry hopeful October 1, 2026 Andy Burnham promised to be “pragmatic” about drilling in the North Sea in his conference speech. Those in Aberdeen say there’s not a moment to lose. Bedecked in her obligatory high-vis jacket and surrounded by hardhard-wearing oil and gas workers, Miatta Fanbulleh’s first ministerial trip was a striking piece of political symbolism. Just three days [...]
INEOS boss: North Sea decommissioning is ideological and destructive September 3, 2026 From 2029, decommissioning spending will overtake capital investment in the North Sea. This is economic self-harm, writes Brian Gilvary.
Octopus boss Greg Jackson calls for ‘urgent reform’ on energy as bills rise August 26, 2026 Octopus boss Greg Jackson has called on Andy Burnham to deliver “urgent reform” to the energy market to protect households from “volatile” gas prices. Jackson, founder of the UK’s biggest household electricity supplier, said: “The government’s decision to take VAT off electricity and remove some of the levies from bills has helped soften the blow [...]
Britain should back the North Sea if it wants energy security and net zero August 14, 2026 The UK cannot afford to talk up growth, jobs and energy security while turning its back on the domestic resources it still needs, writes David Whitehouse Britain faces a simple choice. While we still need oil and gas, do we produce more of it here, supporting jobs, investment, energy security and lower production emissions, or [...]