The government is set to decide whether to allow Rosebank – the largest undeveloped oil field in the North Sea – to go ahead.
Consent granted previously was quashed as a result of our legal victory over the Horse Hill oil site in Surrey. Just like Horse Hill, Rosebank had been approved without an assessment of the greenhouse gases that would be released when the oil was eventually combusted. The Supreme Court ruled that these ‘scope 3’ emissions must be properly assessed before fossil fuel developments are allowed.
The Rosebank developer attempted this assessment back in July 2025, revealing Rosebank’s total emissions would be a whopping 254 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Their first attempt at assessing the significance of those emissions for the climate wasn’t good enough though, and the offshore oil and gas regulator asked for more information. This information has now been provided – and they still haven’t got it right. We have responded to the latest consultation and said the government must refuse consent for this project.
Adura’s unconvincing arguments
Adura* argues that the effect on the climate of the 254 million tonnes of greenhouse gases is “not significant”. We disagree – both with their conclusion and the way they arrived at it:
The assessment fails to follow the guidelines laid down for assessing the climate impacts of fossil fuel developments in several ways, including:
- failing to place Rosebank’s emissions within a global cumulative context of all current and approved fossil fuel projects. Estimates of emissions from operating and in-development oil, gas and coal fields are in the public domain, however Adura refused to consider these sources.
- Failing to assess the actual effects of the scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions on, for example, human health and biodiversity. It’s not enough just to give the volume of greenhouse gas emissions that will arise, developers must also look at how those emissions will affect a range of factors. This kind of assessment can and has been done, for example by Oxfam, who calculated the heat deaths that would be attributable to Rosebank and Jackdaw if they were to go ahead.
Adura fails to recognise some key facts:
- There is no room for any new oil and gas if we are to keep temperature rise below 1.5°C. The remaining carbon budget is now around 130 gigatonnes of CO2 – equating to just a few years of current emissions. Meanwhile forecast emissions from the burning of the oil, gas and coal in infrastructure already operating or under development developments exceed 900 gigatonnes.
- There is more than enough oil and gas in existing and under-construction fields to meet ongoing demand within 5°C scenarios. By 2035, production from existing and already approved fields could in fact exceed by over 15% demand in the International Energy Agency’s Net Zero Emissions pathway, meaning that some production would need to be retired early. The opening of any new oil and gas fields, such as Rosebank, will mean either that more operating fields will have to close early, resulting in stranded assets, or, if they are allowed to continue production, even greater levels of global heating will occur.
Kirsty Clough, co-author of the submission, said: “The heatwaves, wildfire and drought we’re enduring this summer are a result of the continued burning of oil and gas. The government must read the room and say No to Rosebank. It’s time to leave fossil fuels behind and create a positive future for the North Sea, based on clean, renewable energy.”
Sarah Finch, co-author, said: “Rosebank would not lower bills or make us more energy secure. It wouldn’t stop the decline in jobs in the oil industry. It would just make rich oil companies even richer, while worsening the dangerous climate change that is affecting all of us. We need an immediate end to all new oil and gas extraction, including the Rosebank project.”
Our full submission is available here: Weald Action Group August 2026 representation regarding the Rosebank Oilfield Development Project
Our submission to the previous consultation is here: Weald Action Group November 2025 representation regarding the Rosebank Oilfield Development Project
*Rosebank’s owner Equinor has joined forces with Shell in a new venture called ‘Adura’, which is now the developer of Rosebank. Commentators say this arrangement is a £1.3 billion tax dodge.