Britain approves Jackdaw gas field off Scottish coast

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LONDON — The government is set to approve Jackdaw, a major proposed gas field off the coast of Scotland, on Wednesday.

One senior government official and two people briefed on the plans told POLITICO they believed an announcement was planned for Wednesday. The official and one of the two people said it was expected in the early morning.

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh is scheduled to sign off the environmental statement, overseen by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment & Decommissioning. The North Sea Transition Authority is also expected to rubber stamp the project’s field development plan.

Jackdaw, a major fossil fuel development off the Aberdeen coast, was first approved for a license in June 2022, but the decision was overturned in the courts following a legal challenge from green groups in January 2025.

The project’s developer is Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Equinor, who are the majority owners, and Ithaca Energy.

Adura estimates Jackdaw could meet around 6% of the U.K.’s North Sea gas production – enough fuel to heat the equivalent of 1.4 million homes.

The government declined to comment when approached by POLITICO.

Additional reporting by Abby Wallace and Charlie Cooper.