UK energy secretary leaning towards rejecting Rosebank oilfield after approving Jackdaw gasfield
UK Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh is leaning towards rejecting approval for the Rosebank oilfield in the North Sea, the Guardian reported. Officials told the paper she is minded to refuse the project, which they said would be one of the biggest fields in the North Sea. The same day, Wednesday 21 October 2026, she approved the smaller Jackdaw gasfield, a decision that drew protest from some in the green movement.
Both projects sought approval for existing licences, the permits that allow companies to drill in UK waters. Labour's 2024 election manifesto committed to banning new North Sea drilling licences, and Fahnbulleh has held the energy post since July 2026.
Jackdaw had been long delayed. Reuters reported that the UK had approved the field, and Fahnbulleh said it would begin supplying gas to British homes and businesses by the end of October. The Guardian put the project's estimated emissions at 36m tonnes of carbon. Fahnbulleh cited national security in backing it, and said energy security was vital amid a Middle East conflict that is triggering an energy crisis. She also said the UK will need gas during the transition to lower-carbon energy, and that the Jackdaw decision was not about lowering energy bills.
She has said the reasoning behind Jackdaw does not carry over to Rosebank. In her account, Jackdaw is a gasfield serving the domestic market, while Rosebank is an oilfield mainly for export. The Guardian reported that Rosebank would emit around seven times the carbon of Jackdaw.
No final decision has been taken on Rosebank. Officials said a ruling is expected later in 2026. Earlier this week, Sky News reported that the energy secretary had described a Jackdaw decision as "imminent" and said a decision on Rosebank "would take a little longer".
Alongside the Jackdaw approval, Fahnbulleh promised a new energy wealth fund to invest North Sea tax revenues in green energy. The fund is to receive £2bn in the budget, partly by reallocating money from her department's budget, according to the Guardian.
