UK approves Jackdaw gas field after a court quashed its first consent

What happened

The North Sea Transition Authority granted consent on Wednesday 21 October for gas production at the Jackdaw field, after Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh agreed to it. ^{[1, 2]}

Her agreement is dated Wednesday 14 October. Jackdaw belongs to Adura, a company owned equally by Shell and Equinor. The government said gas could reach British homes and businesses from as early as the end of October. ^{[1, 2, 8]}

Why it matters

The government said Jackdaw would raise domestic gas production by around 6 percent at its peak, over a life of up to 11 years. Its decision document says output would average around 5 percent and would not affect prices, which the international market sets. Fahnbulleh told LBC the decision 'won't mean cheaper bills'. ^{[1, 3, 5]}

Why it was decided again

The previous government agreed to consent in May 2022. In January 2025 the Court of Session quashed it, with all parties agreeing the assessment had left out the emissions from burning the gas, known as scope 3 emissions. ^{[3, 6]}

The new decision applies guidance on those emissions published in June 2025. It puts the project's total emissions at about 36.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. It concludes they would not stop the UK meeting its carbon budgets, the legal caps on emissions, or reaching net zero by 2050. ^[3]

What each side says

Adura's chief executive, Neil McCulloch, called the decision 'an important and positive step forward'. Adura put Jackdaw's investment at 2.1 billion pounds and said it could heat about 1.4 million homes at peak production. ^[4]

Ami McCarthy of Greenpeace UK said approval 'shows the toxic grip fossil fuel lobbyists still hold over our energy policy', LBC reported. Uplift wrote that Jackdaw would supply just 2 percent of UK gas demand over about ten years. The figures differ in what they measure: Uplift's is a share of demand, the government's a share of domestic production at peak. ^{[5, 7, 1]}

What settles it next

Adura said gas could reach homes and businesses within weeks. Rosebank, Adura's larger oil field, lost its consent in the same 2025 ruling and still awaits a decision. ^{[4, 6, 7]}

Fahnbulleh has said Rosebank will take 'a bit longer', LBC reported. Adura said Rosebank 'follows Jackdaw in the regulatory process'. ^{[5, 4]}

Who it reaches

Shell (SHEL) is direct: it owns half of Adura, the developer granted the consent. Equinor (EQNR) is direct by the same path, owning the other half. ^{[8, 2]}