New oilfield in the North Sea would blow the UK’s carbon budget

An oil platform in the North Sea. Critics of the Rosebank field say it will do nothing to lower UK fuel bills and most of the reserves will be exported. Photograph: Nature Picture Library/Alamy

A single new oil and gas field in the North Sea would be enough to exceed the UK’s carbon budgets from its operations alone, analysis has shown, as the government considers fossil fuel expansion despite the legally binding commitment to net zero.

Rosebank is the biggest undeveloped oilfield in the North Sea, with the potential to produce 500m barrels of oil, and has already cleared several regulatory hurdles, meaning a decision on its future could come soon.