John Swinney has declined to state whether he supports the development of the Rosebank oil field near Shetland, despite repeated questioning at First Minister's Questions on Thursday.
The proposal remains pending approval, even after the UK Government recently announced it would allow the Jackdaw gas field near Aberdeen to proceed. While the decision on Rosebank also rests with the UK Government, the Scottish Government has not clearly stated its position, though Mr Swinney has softened his stance compared to his predecessors.
Position Shifted During Election Campaign
During the campaign ahead of May's election, Mr Swinney adjusted his position on the development, suggesting it should be weighed against the carbon implications of importing oil and gas.
At FMQs, Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra voiced his support for Rosebank and asked the First Minister for his view. Mr Swinney responded: "The process of consideration of the Rosebank application has got to be applied, but it's got to be applied by the quasi-judicial process that the Prime Minister talks about, where the implications of the consenting of that development has got to be compared with the importation of oil and gas."
Repeated Pressure from Opposition
Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay pressed Mr Swinney four times to state whether he supports the development, but the First Minister referred back to his earlier answer. Mr Findlay described it as "torture" to get an answer, adding: "He's got opinions on Gaza, Israel, Russia, Iran, Europe, but not on the North Sea."
Pressed again, Mr Swinney said: "In the interest of explaining to Mr Findlay what I said to Mr Marra, there is a legal responsibility for every application to be considered and the carbon emissions that come out of the development of an individual site have to be assessed… as to whether it is compatible with our journey to net zero. That is the legal obligation and that is the test and the assessment the United Kingdom Government has got to go through."
Climate Compatibility Test Questioned
Scottish Green co-leader Ross Greer suggested the UK Government seemed "intent" on approving Rosebank and questioned whether the First Minister would back it if it passed "some kind of climate compatibility test." Mr Greer asked: "Is the First Minister genuinely suggesting that a monumental oil field could pass a climate test worth the paper it was written on?"
Mr Swinney replied that the Government remains committed to its climate agenda and legally binding targets, and that any oil and gas development must be compatible with legal obligations. He noted that energy plans accept the continued use of oil and gas for some time, and the key question is whether resources are utilised in domestic waters or imported from other jurisdictions, which is the purpose of the climate compatibility test.
Speaking to journalists at Holyrood, the First Minister again refused to be drawn on whether he explicitly supports Rosebank. He said the UK Government must consider all the issues and reach a conclusion, adding: "That's the point I was making in Parliament, that that's where they got to on Jackdaw, and I accept and support that conclusion."
