THE First Minister has said the “critical transition” on climate change must be considered in the debate over further drilling in the North Sea, adding that the decision lies with the courts and Westminster.
John Swinney was pressed this morning on his thoughts on the approval of new oil and gas projects in the seas around Scotland.
It comes after The Times reported that industry sources believe Andy Burnham’s Government is ready to “move quickly” to scale up oil and gas production, with one insider hoping that production from either Jackdaw or Rosebank could start as soon as October.
The two oil and gas fields have been at the heart of the debate over new licences as regulators approved them in 2022 and 2023 under the former Conservative government, but were overturned last year after a legal challenge.
Miatta Fahnbulleh, who became the new Energy Secretary earlier in the week, replacing Ed Miliband, visited Aberdeen on Thursday, which is a hub for the industry, where she had "constructive" talks with industry figures.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Swinney was asked what should happen in the North Sea.
He said: “We’ve obviously got an absolutely critical transition to be made to fulfil our obligations in climate change and it’s one of the considerations that has got to go into decisions made by the UK Government.”
He said the developments had been held up by court challenges and the only way they could proceed is if they are compatible with the journey to net zero. The final decision on licensing would be made by the Energy Secretary.
Asked for his own judgment on the projects, he said: “I think the issues have got to be weighed up.
“The assessment has got to be undertaken.”
The First Minister also said the climate compatibility assessment would be made by the UK government, adding: “I don’t know the answer to that question, because we’re not the decision makers on this.”
Earlier in July, newly-elected Aberdeen South MSP Jack Middleton broke with his party by calling for the Jackdaw and Rosebank oil fields to be approved by the UK Government. The SNP have, although, been accused of growing more supportive of the industry in recent months, in particular ahead of the Aberdeen South by-election, which the party lost to the Conservatives.
