Shell has submitted a revised plan for a North Sea gasfield that was rejected by regulators on environmental grounds last year.
The oil and gas major is seeking to develop the Jackdaw field, about 155 miles east of Aberdeen, which it says could produce 6.5 per cent of UK domestic gas output at peak — enough to heat 1.4 million homes. It hopes to start production in 2025 at the field, which would keep producing until 2033.
The Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning rejected plans in October because of concerns about how much carbon dioxide, which occurs alongside the gas, would be vented into the atmosphere.
Shell’s revised scheme would involve more carbon dioxide being brought to shore, where it would be stored in a proposed carbon-capture facility.
The decision on Jackdaw will be closely watched as the government attempts to encourage North Sea investment to boost UK energy security and replace Russian oil and gas.
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Shell abandoned plans for an even bigger North Sea development, the Cambo oil field, in December in the wake of Jackdaw’s rejection and amid hostility to the industry as Britain hosted the Cop26 climate summit.
However, as gas prices rose sharply late last year and following the climate talks, the government embarked on a charm offensive to the industry that has intensified after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered a scramble to end reliance on Russian supplies.
The prime minister met energy firms including Shell this week to discuss “how the UK can remove barriers facing investors and developers, and help projects come online more quickly”.
Jackdaw would be brought into production using an unmanned platform linked by a 19-mile pipeline to Shell’s Shearwater platform.
Shell has not given a cost for its development but said it would be worth £500 million to the UK supply chain. A spokesman said Jackdaw would help to secure supplies that UK homes and businesses would rely on for years.
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Tessa Khan of Uplift, the campaign group, said the field would do nothing to help the “one in four” people who will “struggle to pay their energy bills in the autumn due to soaring gas prices”.
