Public consultation on the £8.7 billion Rosebank oil field closed at midnight, moving the project closer to a UK government decision. The close follows a similar consultation process for the Jackdaw gas field, which finished the week before.
Consultation clears a procedural hurdle
The consultation was run by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED). Adura welcomed its conclusion. OPRED will now review the responses it received before a UK minister decides whether to approve Rosebank.
Investment and jobs tied to both fields
Combined, Rosebank and Jackdaw represent an anticipated £10.8 billion in investment, more than three-quarters of it spent in the UK. Adura said the two projects would deliver £1.4 billion in tax revenue before the end of this parliament, rising to £3.8 billion by the end of the next.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Combined investment (Rosebank + Jackdaw) | £10.8 billion |
| Spent in the UK | more than three-quarters |
| Tax revenue by end of this parliament | £1.4 billion |
| Tax revenue by end of next parliament | £3.8 billion |
| Peak construction jobs | 3,500 |
| Jobs sustained through production | 880 |
| Apprenticeships | 125 |
| Rosebank gross value added (lifetime) | £24.3 billion |
Across its producing lifespan, Adura said Rosebank alone would generate £24.3 billion in gross value added for the UK economy, spanning construction, operations, supply chain activity and the wider economy.
Output large enough to slow the UK's oil decline
Rosebank is projected to produce around 69,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak, roughly 10% of anticipated UK Continental Shelf oil output. Adura said total UK oil production is forecast to fall in coming years and that Rosebank is large enough to slow that decline. Together, Rosebank and Jackdaw have the potential to make up 10% of domestic natural gas production.
Two-phase development off Shetland
Rosebank sits about 130km north-west of Shetland. Adura plans to develop it in two phases, an upstream project in which subsea wells tie back to a redeployed Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, a ship-shaped hull that processes and stores oil at sea instead of piping it straight to shore.
Adura says the projects bring "real economic benefits"
Neil McCulloch, Adura's chief executive, called Rosebank the largest undeveloped oil field in the UK North Sea and the consultation close "a major step before a decision" on the project. He thanked those who engaged with the consultation, including businesses and organizations representing thousands of workers across the UK energy industry and its supply chain, and said Adura would keep working with the regulator as it completes its review of Rosebank and Jackdaw.
We reported that the UK energy secretary faced North Sea industry pressure on Rosebank and Jackdaw.
