Energy Secretary does NOT want Rosebank Resurfaced
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh is facing renewed scrutiny over her longstanding opposition to the Rosebank oilfield as she prepares to rule on whether the UK’s largest undeveloped North Sea project should proceed.
In September 2022, while campaigning and before entering Parliament, Fahnbulleh shared a post from the #StopRosebank campaign. The message targeted then-Prime Minister Liz Truss and argued that approving Rosebank — described as the biggest undeveloped field in the North Sea — would not lower energy bills or improve energy security. Instead, it claimed the field would generate pollution equal to the combined emissions of the world’s 28 lowest-income countries. The post carried the hashtag #StopRosebank and linked to campaign materials.
Four years later, Fahnbulleh holds the pen on the final decision as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero under Prime Minister Andy Burnham. She approved the smaller Jackdaw gas field in October 2026, describing it as supporting domestic supply. She has drawn a clear distinction with Rosebank, noting that the larger project is predominantly oil expected to be exported rather than gas primarily for the UK market.
Government sources have indicated she is leaning toward rejecting Rosebank on climate and energy-security grounds. The field, located west of Shetland, holds hundreds of millions of barrels of oil equivalent, the majority of it oil. Burning its reserves is estimated by campaigners to produce more than 200 million tonnes of CO₂. Courts previously ruled an earlier Conservative-era approval unlawful for failing to properly account for these “scope 3” emissions from combustion.
A cabinet split has emerged. Chancellor John Healey and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds are understood to favour approval, citing jobs in the North Sea, investment, and tax revenues that the Treasury has already factored into fiscal forecasts — projected in the hundreds of millions of pounds.
Some reports suggest the Prime Minister may also lean toward the project under a “pragmatic” approach to existing fields. Labour backbenchers are divided: some have urged leadership not to overrule Fahnbulleh if she blocks the field, while Scottish Labour figures and unions have pressed for approval to protect employment and the regional economy.
Fahnbulleh’s office has stressed that no final decision has been taken and that the process is quasi-judicial, with the Energy Secretary as the sole decision-maker.
A ruling is expected before the end of 2026. The outcome will test the balance between the government’s climate commitments, energy security claims, and the economic case for continued North Sea production as the UK transitions away from fossil fuels.
