Only 27 direct full-time jobs would be created by the new Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea, according to an environmental impact assessment filed by its owner Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Norway's Equinor. The figure is less than the capacity of a standard London bus top deck.
Employment Figures Revealed
The document states: "Over the lifetime of the field there would be a consistent level of employment averaging at nearly 500 jobs a year in direct, indirect and induced employment – this includes 273 direct jobs which exist on the Shearwater host installation and [an] additional 27 Jackdaw-specific jobs."
The fossil fuel industry, along with the Conservatives, Reform UK and sections of the Labour party, is lobbying incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham to approve both Jackdaw and Rosebank, an oilfield west of Shetland. Advocates claim the sites would support thousands of jobs.
Campaigners Question Economic Benefits
Green campaigners argue the economic impact would be minimal. Angharad Hopkinson, a political campaigner at Greenpeace, which uncovered the figure, said: "Fossil fuel cheerleaders have repeatedly defended new oil and gas developments by claiming they are vital for employment. Those claims look increasingly difficult to justify when the developer's own documents tell a very different story."
Tessa Khan, executive director of campaign group Uplift, added: "It would be a mistake if the first thing Andy Burnham does as prime minister is cave into the demands of the profiteering oil and gas industry. These are companies that have made obscene profits, while our energy costs have skyrocketed. New North Sea drilling will not take a penny off our bills, it will just make a handful of executives and their shareholders even richer."
Platform Unstaffed for Most of Its Life
The Jackdaw drilling platform will be unstaffed for most of its operating life, and much of the construction has already taken place in Norway, limiting scope for UK workers. Hopkinson said: "[This] confirms it's never been workers who stand to gain most from projects like Jackdaw – it's fossil fuel companies and their shareholders. If this is the best case they can make for more oil and gas under a collapsing climate, it's a case that's run out of road."
Adura defended the project, saying Jackdaw would support additional jobs in the supply chain. A spokesperson said: "Jackdaw and Rosebank will support 3,500 jobs at peak construction with 880 high-quality, well-paid jobs sustained throughout production in communities across the UK. The projects will generate a combined gross value added of over £28bn across their lifetimes and generate immediate tax revenues of £1.4bn before the end of this parliament."
Decline in North Sea Jobs
Jobs in the North Sea have been in decline for two decades as more than 90% of resources have been extracted. Uplift has cast doubt on tax revenue claims, arguing that tax reliefs on developments are so high they will largely outweigh returns. The group says the British public would carry almost all costs of Rosebank development through tax breaks.
Labour made a manifesto promise not to issue new oil or gas licences, but both fields were in the licensing system at the last general election, so proponents argue they can go ahead without breaching the commitment. Green campaigners have attacked this as a loophole against the spirit of the pledge.
Consultations Underway
A consultation on Jackdaw will finish on 8 August. Adura set out its environmental impact assessment for Rosebank on Thursday, claiming resulting greenhouse gas emissions would be small. However, Khan said the assessment underestimated the climate impact: Rosebank would create carbon dioxide equivalent to 70% of the UK's annual emissions, which was "undeniably significant". She added that it would not meaningfully boost UK energy supplies, saying: "It's overwhelmingly oil for export."
Adura countered: "Jackdaw and Rosebank will be among the lowest emissions developments in the UK continental shelf [UKCS], itself one of the most highly regulated and lowest emissions oil and gas basins anywhere in the world. Across Adura's portfolio of new developments – including Rosebank and Jackdaw – average production emissions intensity could be as much as half the UKCS average and around eight times lower than emissions intensity associated with imported liquefied natural gas."
