Rosebank oil and gas field approved despite claims that burning its oil and gas could release the same annual emissions as 90 countries

Equinor will develop the UK’s largest untapped oil and gas field. Climate campaigners have fiercely criticised this due to its potential emissions and the likelihood that most of the oil will be exported.

Published

October 12, 2023

What is Rosebank?

Rosebank is the UK’s largest untapped oil and gas field, containing an estimated 300 million barrels of oil according to the BBC[i] and nearly 500 million barrels according to CNN.[ii] It is located 80 miles west of Shetland.[iii] The oilfield is majority-owned by Equinor, a Norwegian state-owned energy company. It is part-owned by Ithaca Energy, one of the largest independent oil and gas companies in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf. Ithaca Energy has stakes in six of the ten largest oil and gas fields in the UK North Sea and two of the three largest prospective developments.[iv] Production is expected to start in late 2026.[v] At its peak, 69,000 barrels of oil (which is 8% of the UK’s daily output) and 44 million cubic feet of gas could be pumped from Rosebank per day.[vi]

In July, the UK government said it would issue hundreds of new North Sea oil and gas exploration licences

During licensing rounds, operators bid for specific areas. The licences then grant an operator exclusive rights to explore an area rather than the right to develop infrastructure or begin extraction.[vii]

It was also announced in July that the government and North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) would undertake future licensing rounds through a joint committee, and any of these rounds would be subject to a climate compatibility test.[viii] The problem with the climate compatibility checkpoint design is that its three tests do not measure scope 3 emissions. The first test is whether new oil and gas developments create reductions in operational greenhouse gas emissions (those occurring while the company is exploring or extracting). The second test benchmarks the UK oil and gas sector against other producers in terms of their operational emissions. The final test is whether the UK is likely to remain a net importer of oil and gas.[ix] What is missing is a calculation of how much carbon dioxide would be emitted from burning the oil and gas from the new development.

Regarding the new oil and gas licenses, the UK government says, “This will increase the UK’s energy security and reduce dependence on higher-emission imports, whilst protecting more than 200,000 jobs in a vital industry as we grow the UK economy.”[x]

Denmark, Ireland, and France have all ruled out issuing new licences for offshore oil and gas exploration.[xi]

The oilfield was approved on the 27^th of September 2023

Even with the UK’s net zero targets, the move has been defended by members of the UK government. Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho said, "We will need oil and gas as part of that mix on the path to net zero and so it makes sense to use our own supplies."[xii] This comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak softened some of the UK’s net zero policies. Coutinho also said, "We will continue to back the UK's oil and gas industry to underpin our energy security, grow our economy and help us deliver the transition to cheaper, cleaner energy.”[xiii]

Investors in the oil and gas field have stated that its development will create 1,600 jobs.[xiv] Ithaca Energy and Equinor have stated that it will likely support 450 UK-based jobs during its lifetime.[xv]

Protestors have been ferociously campaigning against Rosebank

Environmental groups like Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth Scotland, and StopCambo have been campaigning for the UK government not to approve Rosebank. Greenpeace started a petition asking the government to commit to no new North Sea oil and gas licenses and permits. It was signed by 120,266 people.[xvi]

The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) flagship report ‘Net Zero by 2050- A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector’ states that in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, there can be no new fossil fuel production.[xvii] Oil from Rosebank could produce 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.[xviii] According to the campaign group Stop Cambo, burning Rosebank’s oil and gas would emit more carbon dioxide than the combined emissions of all of the 28 low-income countries worldwide, including Uganda, Ethiopia, and Mozambique.[xix] Carbon Brief has found that burning all of Rosebank’s oil and gas would be equivalent to the annual emissions of about 90 countries or 400 million people.[xx]

Furthermore, critics of the plan say that the UK exports 80% of its oil, so Rosebank won’t do much to address the UK’s energy security and costs.[xxi]

Protests have erupted across the country since Rosebank was approved. On Saturday, the 30^th of September, there were protests outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in London[xxii], the UK Government building in Edinburgh[xxiii], as well as protests in Glasgow, Sheffield, Cambridge, and Bristol. Various high-profile people have also expressed anger at the decision, including the naturalist and presenter, Chris Packham, and Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion.