The head of EDF Energy has described new UK oil and gas projects as a “no-brainer” that pose “no contradiction” to the net zero agenda, as the government prepares to decide on two North Sea developments.
EDF boss backs North Sea expansion
Simone Rossi said ministers should give the green light to the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields while accelerating support for heat pumps and electric vehicles. He argued that the UK should use its own resources rather than importing fossil fuels from abroad.
“It will take decades to wean off from that dependency,” Rossi told the BBC. “So while this is happening we should use the resources that we’ve got rather than importing them from afar. For me, it’s really a no-brainer. It is not in contradiction.”
Jobs and tax receipts
Rossi said new North Sea developments would help create jobs and increase government tax receipts that could be used to support households struggling to pay energy bills. He also noted that locally produced fossil fuels had lower emissions than imports because they do not need to be transported over long distances.
“In the UK the only way we can reduce emissions is to genuinely reduce the usage of fossil fuels at the point of use,” he said. “Over time, the only solution is electricity.”
EDF Energy, which generates about a fifth of the UK’s low-carbon electricity, is owned by EDF of France. It has about 8 gigawatts of low-carbon generation capacity in the UK, including eight nuclear power plants with a combined capacity of 6GW and 2GW of wind, solar and battery storage. It is building the much-delayed Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset.
Support from politicians and industry
Rossi joins other renewables leaders in advocating for more North Sea production, including Greg Jackson, founder of Octopus Energy; Jürgen Maier, former boss of GB Energy; and Tara Singh, boss of RenewableUK.
Politicians who have spoken in favour of more North Sea production include former chancellor Rachel Reeves, defence secretary Wes Streeting, former Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, and leaders of the largest trade unions. This support aligns with Labour’s election manifesto, which ruled out granting exploration licences while allowing new streams of oil and gas from already licensed areas or fields adjacent to existing projects.
Ministers have faced pressure from environmental groups and Zack Polanski, the Green party leader in England and Wales, to deny final consent to Rosebank and Jackdaw after a summer of heatwaves and increased volatility in oil and gas prices. Both projects already have licences granted under the Conservative government, meaning they could be approved without breaching the manifesto.
Andy Burnham has promised a “pragmatic approach” to the North Sea after Donald Trump urged the prime minister to “open up” more drilling. The government is expected to decide on Rosebank and Jackdaw within weeks, with the decision reportedly delayed until after the 8 October Holborn and St Pancras byelection, in which Polanski plans to stand.
The oil and gas proposals were submitted earlier this year after a court ordered developers to resubmit applications with additional consideration for the climate impact of burning their fossil fuels.
