Insiders: Rosebank Can Meet UK Climate Targets — SkimNews
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- Miatta Fahnbulleh has more latitude to approve Rosebank than government insiders expected, because most exported oil is burned abroad and its combustion emissions do not count against UK carbon budgets.
- John Healey is lobbying Fahnbulleh to approve Rosebank after the Treasury counted billions of pounds in expected tax revenue; rejection would leave the Treasury with a revenue shortfall.
- Adura estimates Rosebank would generate £500m a year in tax by the end of this parliament, while supporters also cite jobs and investment as benefits.
- Miatta Fahnbulleh must reassess Rosebank after a 2024 judge found the original consent wrongly excluded combustion emissions; she must also weigh Britain’s Paris agreement commitment to prevent warming above 1.5C.
- Rosebank oilfield emissions are estimated at 1m additional tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2042, versus the UK’s 90m-tonne limit; because most oil is exported, its combustion emissions count toward other countries’ totals.
- Greg Muttitt agreed that Rosebank approval would not conflict with firm UK commitments because most oil is exported, but called approval wrong and said the field would produce around seven times Jackdaw’s emissions.
- Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth wrote to the prime minister on Tuesday, urging him to weigh the cumulative effects of North Sea drilling, Heathrow expansion and heat-pump grants rather than assess each in isolation.
Why it matters: The Treasury’s reliance on an estimated £500m a year in Rosebank tax by the end of this Parliament gives Chancellor John Healey a concrete fiscal stake, while climate groups argue exported emissions merely relocate the burden. Rejecting the project would create the revenue shortfall cited by insiders, with Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh holding the decision.
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