Consultation ending on controversial Rosebank oil field

Image source, PA Media Image caption, The decision will ultimately be taken by Energy Security Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh

Scotland environment, energy and rural affairs correspondent Published 17 August 2026 Supporters and opponents of the controversial Rosebank oil field have been making their cases as a consultation on the plans draws to a close.

The industry regulator is considering revised applications for the £8.7bn project off Shetland and the Jackdaw gas field after a court ruled that they had been unlawfully approved.

Environmental campaign group Uplift, which was behind the successful legal challenge, argues that recent extreme heatwaves and wildfires are evidence that more drilling will "wreck the planet"

But the boss of oil company Adura, CEO Neil McCulloch, says fossil fuels will be needed for years to come and that producing them domestically will generate billions in tax revenues.

He told BBC Radio Scotland the Rosebank field was of "low significance" compared with total production globally - but would be "very, very significant" in terms of the jobs it would provide in the north east of Scotland.

McCulloch said he was confident there was a "balance of advantages" in approving Rosebank and added: "The ball is back now in the government's court."

Image source, Adura Image caption, The Petroljarl Rosebank production vessel has been floated into position ready for production

Isobel Reid from Uplift has called on the government to reject the applications, insisting that more drilling will "wreck our planet" and result in more extreme weather.

"The prime minister must take urgent steps to deal with the root of the problem - burning fossil fuels is what feeds climate change," she said.

The Rosebank oil field and the Jackdaw gas field , 150 miles east of Aberdeen, had been approved under the previous Conservative government and construction is well under way.

A legal challenge was brought at the Court of Session in Edinburgh in 2024 which argued that consent was given without fully considering the impact of burning the fossil fuels which will be produced.

The previous decisions were ruled unlawful and sent back to the regulator Opred to be taken again.

The judge ruled that the operators could continue preparatory work at the sites but must stop short of producing oil and gas until a final decision had been taken.

Rosebank is estimated to contain the equivalent of up to 300 million barrels of oil and at its peak will produce approximately 69,000 barrels a day.

Most of that is oil which will be shipped to Europe for refining before being sold on the open market.

A fresh environmental impact assessment (EIA) concluded that the oil and gas it produces will generate about 250 million tonnes of planet warming greenhouse gases over its lifetime.

That figure is equivalent to about two thirds of the UK's total emissions for 2024.

The industry argues that will simply displace imported oil rather than generate new emissions and the EIA - which was produced by Adura - concluded that the emissions were "not significant".

Image source, PA Media Image caption, The Prime Minister visited victims of a wildfire in Stourbridge which has destroyed homes

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is coming under pressure over the decisions about both Rosebank and Jackdaw.

Visiting victims of the West Midlands wildfire on Friday, he told BBC Five Live that there needs to be a focus on adapting to the changing climate, including considering aerial firefighting resources.

But he said there needs to be a "pragmatic approach" towards domestic oil and gas.

He added: "We won't be able to stop using oil and gas for some time. That's just a fact.

"The question is whether we can accelerate use of it so that we pay for the transition."

The consultation on Jackdaw closed last week and the Rosebank consultation ends later on Monday.

Ultimately the decision is a quasi-legal one which will be taken by the regulator Opred and approved by the Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh.

Although no timetable has been set for the final decision, the operator says a relatively quick decision could see the Jackdaw field producing gas by the winter.

What is happening with the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields?

PM faces pressure as Jackdaw licence consultation closes

Jackdaw boss warns of winter fuel shortage risk if gas field not approved