UK government says it is cautious on Jackdaw and Rosebank approvals

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said a decision on the Jackdaw gas field is imminent, but Rosebank will take longer, as the government moves cautiously after court rulings.

By Felo News Desk · Published Fri, 16 Oct 2026 15:28:39 GMT

The UK government is adopting a cautious approach to public statements on the Jackdaw gas field and the Rosebank oil field, according to officials.

What happened

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh told a conference in London on Thursday that a decision on whether to grant permission for the Jackdaw gas field is “imminent”. She added that a decision on Rosebank, the largest untapped oil field in the North Sea, will take “a bit longer”.

What the reports add

Both Independent and Standard note that the projects were approved by the previous Conservative administration before courts required full environmental impact assessments. The outlets report that the government is reviewing the two projects to avoid repeating the “mistakes” of the prior administration.

Douglas Alexander said the decision on Jackdaw sits “on Miatta’s desk” and described the process as “a pretty closed‑box process” within government.
He welcomed Fahnbulleh’s announcement that a decision on Jackdaw is imminent, but declined to say whether a decision had already been made.

What was said

“Our predecessors, the Conservatives, made such a mess of the process of approval, both for Jackdaw and Rosebank, that they ended up in court.” – Douglas Alexander, BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast (reported by both outlets)

“I’m careful in what I say publicly because we don’t want to make the same mistakes as our Conservative predecessors, which led to the whole programme being delayed as a consequence of judicial challenge.” – Douglas Alexander (reported by both outlets)

“I think the First Minister needs to be a little cautious not to keep throwing out these statements when the reality is capital is starting to be deployed by GB Energy.” – Douglas Alexander, responding to John Swinney’s claim that GB Energy had done “absolutely nothing” (reported by both outlets)

“We’ve put billions of pounds of capital behind it… We never sought to establish a headquarters with hundreds or thousands of bureaucrats.” – Douglas Alexander (reported by both outlets)

How it came about

The projects were initially approved under the former Conservative government, but subsequent court rulings mandated that full environmental impacts be taken into account. The current administration is now weighing whether to grant final permission, while stressing caution to prevent further legal delays. Alexander also referenced First Minister John Swinney’s comment that GB Energy had done “literally, absolutely nothing”, and noted that chairman Juergen Maier had earlier said the organisation aims to employ 1,000 people over the next 20 years.

Key facts

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said a decision on Jackdaw is imminent (independent.co.uk)
A decision on Rosebank will take longer (independent.co.uk)
Douglas Alexander said the previous government made a mess of the approval process (independent.co.uk)