UK approves development of Jackdaw gasfield in North Sea

The decision has drawn sharp criticism from left-wing politicians and environmentalists.

The Jackdaw gas production platform in the North Sea, 250km (155 miles) east of Aberdeen, Scotland, in October 2026 [Handout/Adura]

The United Kingdom’s government has approved a natural gas project off the coast of Scotland, as the Labour government seeks to balance its climate goals with energy security concerns.

Energy Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said on Wednesday that the Jackdaw gasfield would begin supplying energy to UK homes by the end of the month and would help to boost the country’s energy security.

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The government said the North Sea project would increase UK gas production by about 6 percent at its peak.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the decision will “protect hundreds of jobs and help keep millions of homes warm”, but stressed it would not hinder the government’s targets on renewable energy.

The government also announced a New Energy Wealth Fund, which will invest in renewable and low-carbon energy projects as part of the green transition.

The fund has been established with an initial 2 billion pounds ($2.7bn), with plans to raise additional funds through tax revenues from North Sea oil and gas.

Higher energy prices amid the Russia-Ukraine war and the United States-Israel war on Iran have weighed on households and businesses, dragging on Britain’s economy.

Fahnbulleh told UK radio station LBC that the development of Jackdaw would not bring down household energy bills.

“I think it’s really important that we’re honest about this,” Fahnbulleh said.

“That was not a consideration in the decision because it won’t mean cheaper bills. This was about energy security.”

The announcement has drawn criticism from left-wing politicians and environmental groups.

Zack Polanski, the leader of the opposition Green Party, described the decision as “climate vandalism”.

“Surreal to hear [the] energy secretary try and say this is a ‘pragmatic decision’,” Polanski wrote in a post on X.

“It will do nothing to lower bills. It will do lots for the profits of the oil and gas companies. And will continue us further down the path of floods and wildfires.”

Environmental group Greenpeace said the decision showed “the toxic grip fossil fuel lobbyists still hold over our energy policy”.

“True pragmatism means severing our reliance on expensive oil and gas that leaves British households broke, supercharges extreme weather, and leaves our energy security at the mercy of petrostates,” said Ami McCarthy, head of politics at Greenpeace UK.

该决定招致了左翼政客和环保人士的强烈批评。

2026 年 10 月，位于苏格兰阿伯丁以东 250 公里（155 英里）的北海 Jackdaw 天然气生产平台 [图片由 Adura 提供]

英国政府已批准在苏格兰海岸附近开发一个天然气项目，工党政府希望在实现气候目标的同时兼顾能源安全问题。

能源部长米亚塔·法恩布勒周三表示，杰克道天然气田将于本月底开始向英国家庭供电，这将有助于提高该国的能源安全。

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英国政府表示，北海天然气项目高峰期将使英国天然气产量增加约 6%。

总理安迪·伯纳姆表示，该决定将“保护数百个工作岗位，并帮助数百万家庭保持温暖”，但他强调，这不会阻碍政府在可再生能源方面的目标。

政府还宣布设立新能源财富基金，该基金将投资于可再生能源和低碳能源项目，作为绿色转型的一部分。

该基金已设立，初始资金为 20 亿英镑（27 亿美元），并计划通过北海石油和天然气的税收收入筹集更多资金。

俄乌战争和美以对伊战争导致能源价格上涨，给家庭和企业带来了压力，拖累了英国经济。

Fahnbulleh 告诉英国广播电台 LBC，Jackdaw 的开发不会降低家庭能源账单。

“我认为我们在这件事上坦诚相待非常重要，”法恩布勒说。

“这并非决策的考虑因素，因为这并不意味着电费会降低。这关乎能源安全。”

该声明招致了左翼政客和环保组织的批评。

反对党绿党领袖扎克·波兰斯基将这一决定描述为“气候破坏”。

波兰斯基在 X 网站上发帖写道：“听到能源部长试图说这是一个‘务实的决定’，真是令人难以置信。”

“这丝毫不会降低账单金额，反而会大大增加石油和天然气公司的利润，还会让我们继续遭受洪水和野火的侵袭。”

环保组织绿色和平表示，这一决定表明“化石燃料游说集团仍然对我们的能源政策有着有害的控制”。

“真正的务实主义意味着摆脱我们对昂贵的石油和天然气的依赖，这让英国家庭破产，加剧了极端天气，并使我们的能源安全受制于石油国家，”绿色和平英国政治负责人阿米·麦卡锡说。