Just a week after he unveiled a reversal from the government’s ‘net zero’ commitments, Rishi Sunak has thrown his weight behind a more serious initiative that at least accepts that the road towards decarbonising includes compromises.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced on Wednesday that regulators had approved the licence for the Rosebank oilfield, the largest untapped oil field in the North Sea. It made clear that ministers are still focusing on “clean energy sources such as offshore wind and nuclear,” but that the reliance on oil and gas to enable this transition will continue “over the coming decades.”
Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho also celebrated the “jobs and billions of pounds this is worth to our economy,” saying these “will enable us to have greater energy independence, making us more secure against tyrants like Putin.”
Criticism came in fast from the expected corners. The decision, according to Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, amounts to a “climate crime” and is “morally obscene.” Volcanologist and climate scientist Bill McGuire added that the prime minister has knocked “a few more nails into the coffins of our children and grandchildren.”
Gilad Myerson, the head of oil and gas company Ithaca Energy, had quite a different view, noting that
Rosebank stands as the largest undeveloped field in the UK, and we are now poised to embark on a journey that will not only provide critically important domestic energy but also ignite substantial economic impact.
However, others have questioned whether these profits will be seen by the British taxpayer or by foreign companies.
Sunak said it “makes sense” to make use of available supplies, adding that Britain cannot “reach net zero by wishing it.” The decision could also be another Tory attempt at drawing diving lines between itself and Labour. Sir Keir Starmer says a government under his command would block all new oil and gas licences. The line here, as elsewhere, is thin, though, given that Sir Keir has ruled out stopping projects that have already been approved.
