The public consultation on the Rosebank oil field has closed today, 17 August 2026, with operator Adura describing the milestone as a major step toward a final UK Government decision on whether Britain’s largest undeveloped offshore oil field can proceed.
The consultation centred on a revised environmental impact assessment that includes scope 3 emissions: the carbon produced when extracted oil and gas is burned by end users. This followed a landmark Supreme Court ruling in the Finch case that established this as a legal requirement for fossil fuel project approvals in the UK. Adura resubmitted the revised EIA in 2025 after the original consent for Rosebank was ruled unlawful by Scottish courts in January of that year.
The decision now rests with Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, who must weigh the environmental impact assessment against the economic case for the field before granting or refusing consent. A parallel consultation on the Jackdaw gas field, also operated by Adura, closed one week earlier on 10 August 2026.
Adura said that together Rosebank and Jackdaw represent £10.8 billion of investment, with more than three quarters of that spending expected to be directed into the UK supply chain. The two projects could support 3,500 jobs at peak construction and sustain 880 positions across their producing lives. Rosebank alone is projected to produce approximately 69,000 barrels of oil per day at plateau, equivalent to around 10% of expected total UK continental shelf output. Together, the two fields could contribute approximately 10% of domestic natural gas production.
Rosebank sits approximately 130 kilometres northwest of the Shetland Islands in the Faroe-Shetland Channel, in water depths of around 1,100 metres. The field contains an estimated 480 million barrels of oil equivalent. It is operated by Adura, the joint venture formed from the combination of Shell and Equinor’s UK North Sea assets, which brings together two companies with decades of experience operating in the challenging West of Shetland environment.
The decision carries significant political weight for Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government, which has committed to net zero targets while also pledging to maintain existing North Sea licences for their producing lives. Approving Rosebank would signal continued support for domestic oil and gas supply during the energy transition. Refusing it would align more closely with the climate commitments made ahead of the next UK carbon budget period.
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