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Thu, 03 Sep 2026

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 Controversial Jackdaw gas field set to be approved in weeks, sources say

The government is set to give the go-ahead for the gas field off the coast of Aberdeen, the BBC understands.

* The UK government is expected to approve the Jackdaw gas field off the coast of Aberdeen, despite environmental concerns.
* The project was approved in 2022 but delayed due to a legal ruling that it had not fully considered the climate impact.
* Adura, the owner of the field, estimates that it will produce 35.8m tonnes of carbon over its 11-year lifetime, equivalent to 90% of Scotland's emissions for 2023.
* Environmentalists argue that approving the project would be unconscionable and hamper efforts to cut planet-warming carbon emissions.
* The UK is heavily reliant on gas imports, with over 60% coming from Norway and the US, and wholesale natural gas prices have surged this year due to conflicts in Iran.
* Extracting gas domestically creates lower greenhouse gas emissions than importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from other countries.
* Campaigners say that more North Sea drilling would not cut energy bills and would "make no meaningful difference" to UK energy supply.