Britain Approves Biggest New North Sea Gas Field in Nearly a Decade as Trump Urges “FULL BLAST” Drilling

The British government on Wednesday approved the biggest new North Sea gas field in almost a decade, even as the country’s energy secretary acknowledged the project would do nothing to lower household energy bills.

The Jackdaw field, about 150 miles east of Aberdeen in Scotland, could begin supplying gas to British homes and businesses as early as the end of this month, the government said. At peak output it could account for about 6 percent of North Sea gas production, enough to heat the equivalent of around 1.4 million homes, according to Adura, the Shell and Equinor joint venture developing the project.

President Donald Trump welcomed the decision on Truth Social on Wednesday, writing: “The U.K. has started drilling in the North Sea, one of the greatest and most prosperous areas of OIL in the World. They should go FULL BLAST!!!” The post followed months of pressure from the president, who has long urged British leaders to expand North Sea drilling.

Security case, not savings

Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the move “pragmatic,” saying it was “right that we look in a responsible way at maximising the existing energy reserves we have in Britain that could help” at a time when people are struggling. The government said Jackdaw would support gas supply for up to 11 years, protect hundreds of jobs and add an estimated £2.9 billion ($3.8 billion) to the UK economy.

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said the approval was driven by energy security during what she called an energy crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East. Asked on LBC whether the project would mean cheaper bills, she said: “No, and I think it’s really important that we are honest about this. That was not a consideration in the decision because it won’t mean cheaper bills.”

Analysts agreed. Sam Street, a director at consultancy Frontier Economics, told CNN that Jackdaw would reduce import dependence “only to a limited extent” and that domestic producers have no reason to sell below European market prices: “Producing more gas domestically does not create a separate source of cheap energy for UK consumers.”

Climate clash and what’s next

The approval coincided with a new UN climate report finding the globe will unavoidably overshoot the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree Celsius warming target in the next few years. Environmental groups condemned the decision; the campaign group Uplift warned that new oil and gas fields are “incompatible with safe climate limits,” while Green Party leader Zack Polanski called it “climate vandalism.”

The government paired the announcement with a new Energy Wealth Fund that will channel North Sea tax revenues into renewable and low-carbon projects, starting with a £2 billion injection.

Jackdaw had originally been approved under the Conservatives before a court ruled the consent unlawful for failing to account for emissions from burning the gas; a fresh environmental assessment has since been completed. Attention now turns to Rosebank, the largest untapped oil field in the North Sea with an estimated 300 million barrels in reserves, which awaits a separate decision.

Reporting based on coverage by CNN and The Times.