Dear Constituent,
Thank you for contacting me regarding the Stop Rosebank Pledge.
I appreciate your concerns about the proposed Rosebank oil and gas development. However, I believe the Government’s failure to fully support new domestic oil and gas projects is both short-sighted and economically damaging.
While climate change is a global challenge, it’s important to recognise that the UK accounts for just 1% of global emissions. I am concerned that an overly narrow focus on reducing our domestic carbon footprint risks placing an unsustainable burden on households and businesses through higher energy costs which are simply unaffordable. At present, renewable sources like wind and solar are simply not yet reliable enough to meet our energy needs. Data from the National Energy System Operator clearly shows how variable wind and solar output can be, even on a day-to-day basis. This underlines the continued need for a stable, dependable energy base, which includes oil, gas, and nuclear.
There’s also the issue of imports. Much of the gas we now rely on is shipped in from abroad, often fracked in the US and transported across the Atlantic. This imported liquefied natural gas can carry a carbon footprint up to three times higher than gas produced here in the UK. Reducing our own production while increasing reliance on such imports not only undermines our energy security but also weakens global efforts to cut emissions and all while increasing cost of energy for families and businesses.
I remain deeply disappointed with the Government’s decision not to contest the legal challenge against the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields. No other country is voluntarily winding down its domestic oil and gas sector in this way. The North Sea industry still supports around 200,000 jobs, both directly and through wider supply chains, many of them highly skilled and well-paid. The green jobs that have been promised as replacements simply do not exist on the scale required to replace them.
Following the court ruling, the Government has issued new guidance requiring environmental assessments for oil and gas developments to consider the global effects of fossil fuel extraction on the environment, potentially causing delays. However, Equinor and Ithaca Energy have already warned that even a one-day delay to Rosebank could put thousands of jobs at risk and result in lost potential tax revenue.
I and my colleagues in the Opposition will continue to hold the Government to account to ensure that the long-term future of the North Sea oil and gas sector is supported, and that our energy policy remains grounded in both environmental responsibility and economic realism.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Sincerely,
