Activists from Fossil Free London protested outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) in London on Wednesday (October 21) after Britain approved the Jackdaw North Sea gas field, ending years of legal and political wrangling as the Labour government seeks to balance its climate goals with energy security concerns.
The timing of the approval was uncomfortable for the government. According to the BBC, the Jackdaw gas field was approved on the same day the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warned that the world would exceed the 1.5C global warming limit, at least temporarily, after decades of insufficient climate action.
The BBC reported that UNEP's annual Emissions Gap report projected that, even in the best-case scenario, global warming would peak at around 1.7C to 1.8C by mid-century.
According to the BBC, the risks associated with climate change, including intense heatwaves, rising sea levels and biodiversity loss, would be significantly greater at 2C of warming than at 1.5C. The report said that bringing warming back below 1.5C by 2100 would require global emissions to fall 18% by 2030 compared with 2025 levels, while existing government pledges would deliver less than half the reductions needed.
Against this backdrop, Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said the Jackdaw project would begin supplying gas to British homes and businesses by the end of October, as the government seeks to address energy security concerns amid rising prices linked to the Iran war.
"The first key consideration was energy security. At a time when the conflict in the Middle East has triggered an energy crisis, this reinforces the importance of homegrown energy. This is a project that means that we can start supplying gas to our homes and businesses this month, and that was important," Fahnbulleh said.
She said the project would not prevent Britain from meeting its legally binding carbon emission limits or achieving net zero by 2050, adding that gas would remain necessary in the short term during the transition to cleaner energy.
Higher energy prices have weighed on households and businesses, while US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to expand North Sea oil and gas production.
The government said Jackdaw could increase domestic gas production by about 6% at peak output and operate for up to 11 years, describing homegrown energy as "a source of national strength" during a period of global instability.
"At a time when people are really struggling, it's right that we look responsibly at maximising the existing energy reserves we have in Britain that could help," Burnham said.
Fahnbulleh said the government remained committed to expanding clean energy, arguing that renewables and nuclear power would ultimately help bring down energy bills.
"We are clear that we've got to continue sprinting up to clean power, because ultimately that is the thing that will get bills down," she said.
She added that more than £100 billion had been invested in renewable and low-carbon energy since 2024, and that the government had approved enough renewable and nuclear projects to power 23 million homes.
The Chancellor also announced plans to establish an Energy Wealth Fund, with an initial £2 billion to be reinvested in renewable and low-carbon energy projects using revenues from North Sea oil and gas.
The government said the fund would support Britain's transition to cleaner energy, strengthen energy security, and help reduce bills over the long term.
(With agency inputs from Reuters)