What Jackdaw’s Approval Means for the Future of North Sea Drilling

OilPrice.com·Oct 22, 2026 · 9:00 AM CT

Readthrough summary

Ministers first approved the Jackdaw gas field, which holds about 40 million barrels of oil equivalent off Aberdeen, in June 2022. Campaigners then sued over emissions from burning the gas, and a Scottish court quashed the consent after a three-year fight, forcing the operators to redo their environmental assessments.

Jackdaw is now owned by Adura, a joint venture of Shell and Norway's Equinor. On Wednesday, Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh approved it, citing jobs, energy security and even the environment. The delay had left Adura unable to start production and hundreds of North Sea jobs in doubt.

Donald Trump called the approval "great news" and urged the UK to "go FULL BLAST" on North Sea drilling, while climate campaigners accused the government of muting "the sirens of climate damage." The OilPrice.com analysis also looks at what the decision says about UK energy policy and the nearby Rosebank oil project.

Summary written by Readthrough from the original article. The full story, with photos and any updates, is at OilPrice.com.

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