John Swinney has been urged to come off the fence and publicly declare whether the SNP Government supports the controversial development of the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields.
The First Minister has previously suggested the Iran war changed "the balance of the argument" when it came to the UK's energy security - but stopped short of providing a "definitive answer" on whether he would support the proposals.
Industry calls for backing
David Whitehouse, chair of Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), said the Scottish Parliament should be "backing Scotland's workers".
Bosses at Adura, the company behind both projects, said they would result in £10.8 billion of investment – with more than three quarters of this cash expected to be spent in the UK.
Between them, Rosebank and Jackdaw could support 3,500 jobs at the peak of construction, with 880 people then employed over the lifetime of production.
Whitehouse told the Record: "The Scottish Government has said it will make a decision based on the facts. The facts are now there.
"I think it's now time for that assessment. I think the case to support not just these projects, but this industry, is compelling. I think it's totally consistent with the Scottish Government's climate goals.
"Not only would I welcome the Scottish Government, and John Swinney himself, supporting these projects, but the wider Scottish Parliament as well.
"This is about supporting Scottish jobs, and prioritising Scottish jobs over imports. This is about providing more of the oil and gas we are going to use on that journey to net zero.
"I would be expecting everybody to be backing Scotland's workers."
Environmental concerns
Environmental activists fear the impact that extracting fossil fuels from Rosebank - the UK's largest remaining untapped oil field - would have on climate change.
Gillian Mackay, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, described Rosebank as a "climate-wrecking project" and called for Burnham to block it.
But the MSP added Swinney had a duty to make his position clear. "John Swinney and the Scottish Government are failing this test too," she said.
"We have seen devastating wildfires, droughts and extreme heat right on our doorsteps, but the Scottish Government cannot answer simple questions about whether it supports new drilling," she said.
"That is a huge step backwards, for Scotland and the SNP. Just a few years ago, with Nicola Sturgeon's leadership and Greens in Government, we put the climate crisis at the heart of Scotland's energy policy.
"Now with the Greens out of government, Scotland gets a Scottish Government that offers non-answers, delays and calls to cut taxes for oil giants."
Government position
Speaking to reporters in Edinburgh yesterday, Swinney said: "It's important that individual applications are considered on their merits, looking at the implications and the carbon emissions that will come from individual developments, that has to be assessed alongside the equivalent of importing the oil and gas that could come from either of these developments.
"Obviously, we're going to be using oil and gas for some years to come, so if we are going to be importing the oil and gas that could come from either of these developments.
"So, if we are going to be importing oil and gas, or alternatively developing resources within our own jurisdiction, we have to be satisfied that that activity is compatible with our journey to net zero.
"We've obviously got to be mindful of energy security issues and these are some of the considerations that the UK Government must now wrestle with."
A spokesperson for the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said: "The North Sea remains a vital national asset, supporting jobs, growth and the UK's energy security.
"We are clear that oil and gas will continue to play an important role in our energy system for decades to come, alongside transitioning to clean power to protect jobs and tackle the climate crisis."
