Why the EDF Chief Wants Rosebank and Jackdaw Approved — and Why It Tests Net Zero
Simone Rossi, chief executive of EDF Energy, has urged ministers to approve two North Sea oil and gas developments, calling new projects a "no-brainer" with "no contradiction" to the net zero agenda. The Guardian Net zero is the goal of balancing greenhouse gases added to the air with those removed.
The UK government was preparing to decide on the two projects. Rossi made the remarks in an interview with the BBC.
Rossi said ministers should approve the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields while speeding up support for heat pumps and electric vehicles. Heat pumps are electric systems that heat homes without burning gas, and electric vehicles run on batteries rather than petrol. He argued it will take decades to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, oil, gas and coal burned for energy, and the UK should use its own resources rather than importing from afar.
Locally produced fossil fuels, he said, have lower emissions than imports because they avoid long-distance transport. He also said new North Sea developments would create jobs and raise tax revenue that could help households struggling with energy bills.
The two fields at issue already have licences, or formal permission to develop, granted under the Conservative government. Rosebank is Britain's largest untapped oil field, while Jackdaw is described as a giant gas field. GB News Work has stopped at both following legal challenges on climate grounds.
Jackdaw is nearly completed, and its developer, Adura, says it could begin producing this autumn. Economics Observatory The oil and gas industry has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to approve the developments. Sky News Burnham is the British prime minister. An industry report from OEUK said the UK could supply half of its oil and gas needs without imports if the government showed more support for the sector. BBC
EDF Energy is not itself an oil and gas producer. It generates about a fifth of the UK's low-carbon electricity. The company is owned by EDF of France and has about 8 gigawatts of low-carbon generation in the UK, including eight nuclear plants totaling 6GW plus 2GW of wind, solar and battery storage. A gigawatt is a measure of electric power, enough to supply hundreds of thousands of homes at once. It is building the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset.
The broader context here is the clash between licensing for new oil and gas and the step-by-step plan to cut emissions. Rossi is making a bridge-fuel argument, that home-produced oil and gas can replace imports during a long shift to cleaner energy, a bit like buying local food while you change your diet. That shift, he suggests, brings jobs and tax income as side benefits. Critics of that logic, behind the court challenges that halted work, point to total lifetime emissions, effects on demand, and whether new fields fit climate targets. Both sides say their position supports energy security.
Looking at what this means for ministers, the decision is less about whether oil and gas stay in the mix for now than about who supplies them and what legal and political risks follow. Approval would test how the government balances new drilling permits with its net zero framework and how it handles court review of climate assessments. Refusal would test its plan for import reliance, North Sea jobs and tax income, and for an industry that says home output could meet more demand with policy help. Investors in nuclear, renewables and oil and gas will watch closely.
