A CALL for the controversial Jackdaw and Rosebank projects in the North Sea to be given the go ahead has been rejected by Holyrood – with the Tories accusing both the SNP and Labour of “dogmatic ideology and virtue-signalling” on oil and gas.
Scottish Conservative energy spokesperson Liam Kerr led a debate in the Scottish Parliament in favour of developing the Jackdaw gas field to the west of Aberdeen and the Rosebank oil and gas field, which is in waters north west of Shetland.
Energy bosses have been lobbying for the UK Government to approve drilling in both sites – with Mr Kerr insisting the two projects would support some 3500 jobs at their peak and could generate nearly £30 billion in gross value added (GVA) over their lifetime.
When it came to the vote in Holyrood MSPs instead backed a Labour amendment, which stressed that “decisions on whether to grant consent for the Rosebank and Jackdaw developments will be taken at ministerial level by the UK Energy Secretary through a quasi-judicial process”.
This was was passed by 77 votes to 42, with Kerr hitting out at both Labour and the SNP afterwards, saying they “still shamefully refuse to back new drilling in the North Sea”.
The Tory North East Scotland MSP insisted: “Failure to support the Jackdaw and Rosebank oil and gas fields will only leave us more reliant on costly imports and mean thousands of workers in the North East miss out on new job opportunities.
“These projects are being rejected due to a dogmatic ideology and virtue-signalling at the heart of both of Scotland’s governments who remain hostile to one of Scotland’s most important industries.”
He added: “At a time when petrol prices are soaring and people’s energy bills are rising, it makes no sense that we’re not using resources available on our own doorstep.
“Giving the green light to these projects will be a huge shot in the arm for our economy and have a positive effect across a number of other sectors beyond oil and gas.”
While environmental campaigners fiercely oppose both projects, industry body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) has argued that giving the green light to Jackdaw and Rosebank, together with a “more competitive” tax regime for the sector could unlock 111 additional projects in the North Sea, potentially producing 3.25 billion boe (barrels of oil equivalent).
This could be crucial in reducing the UK’s dependence on fossil fuels from overseas, supporters argue.
Energy minister Stephen Gethins also said that decisions on Jackdaw and Rosebank were “quasi judicial matters reserved to the UK government”.
He told MSPs: “I wish that wasn’t the case, but I must operate within the political system I have, rather than the one I would like to have.”
Gethins added that Scottish ministers “continue to call on the UK Government to approach these decisions on a rigorously evidence led, case by case basis”.
This he said was “the responsible thing to do, ensuring statutory climate compatibility tests and that energy security is a key consideration”.
He went on say that while “North Sea oil and gas continues to make a vital contribution to our energy system”, demand for fossil fuels was “declining”.
And Labour’s Daniel Johnson stressed that what was needed “is a balanced approach, a strategy, that ultimately lies on decisions that are robust and defensible”.
Meanwhile Freya Aitchison of Friends of the Earth Scotland said MSPs who supported more drilling in the North Sea were also “demanding more wildfires, more floods and unbearable heatwaves in the UK”.
The campaigner argued: “Burning oil and gas is the key driver of the extreme weather people are enduring around the world.
“The Scottish public would be better served by politicians debating how fast to implement climate solutions that can bring down bills and improve lives such as insulating homes, improving bus services and public ownership of renewable energy.
“The North Sea basin is running out so jobs in the industry are in inevitable, long-term decline.
“Talking about Rosebank and Jackdaw is a distraction from planning an orderly transition that recognises this reality and creates a plan with workers that gives them training and opportunities to move into green jobs.”
