The decision is very controversial and exacerbates criticism against the Sunak government, considered retrograde in its fight against climate change. On Wednesday September 27, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), the semi-independent British authority responsible for issuing hydrocarbon exploitation permits in the North Sea, gave its approval to the exploitation of the enormous Rosebank field , considered the most important still to be exploited in the area. Located 130 km west of the Shetland Islands, Rosebank could contain up to 500 million barrels of oil. Extraction could begin as early as 2026.
This authorization had been feared for weeks, after the Conservative Rishi Sunak had reiterated his desire to be granted ” hundreds “ of licenses to exploit hydrocarbons in the North Sea.
Mr Sunak defended the endorsement at Rosebank, ensuring the UK “still needs” hydrocarbons in its transition to carbon neutrality in 2050. “This is the right decision to take, for the country’s energy security,” insisted the leader, who stood out for his lack of interest in climate issues and created controversy on September 20 by pushing back from 2030 to 2035 a key commitment of the country – the switch to new all-electric cars.
Claire Coutinho, the brand new energy minister, developed the same type of argument: Rosebank will strengthen the country’s energy independence, in the interest of the British. “Let us stop the exploitation of our own hydrocarbon fields at the risk of being dependent on foreign regimes, losing 200,000 jobs in the country and having to import oil with a much higher carbon footprint while losing billions revenue for the British Treasury? asked this close friend of Mr. Sunak on the X network (formerly Twitter). We must be pragmatic, which is why we support the authorization issued by the NSTA. »
Relatively limited job creation
Operation of Rosebank has been granted to two private companies, the Norwegian giant Equinor (the main operator, which owns 80% of the field) and the British company Ithaca. Equinor, on its website, assures that this project “contributes to energy security [du Royaume-Uni]create jobs in the country and reduce overall CO₂ emissions”. The Norwegian giant plans to electrify its operating platforms to reduce CO2 emissions linked to their operation, but this work will not be completed before 2030. As for job creation, they are relatively limited: 450 positions for the United Kingdom.
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