According to the government, Jackdaw is expected to produce gas with an energy equivalent of around 40mn boe over its lifetime, increase UK domestic gas production by around 6% at peak output and contribute to supplies for up to 11 years. The project is operated by Adura (a joint venture between Shell and Equinor).

The NSTA said the project would support UK energy security through domestic gas production while using existing infrastructure. It added that Jackdaw would generate tax revenues, support jobs across the supply chain and have an emissions intensity below the UK offshore industry average.

The Jackdaw field is already licensed and the government said it is consistent with its policy of not issuing new oil and gas exploration licences while allowing existing fields to continue operating throughout their approved lifespans.  

Although the field received its original approval in 2022, the consent was challenged following the UK Supreme Court’s 2024 Finch judgment, which established that assessments for fossil fuel projects must consider emissions from the eventual combustion of extracted oil and gas. In January 2025, Scotland’s Court of Session ruled that the Jackdaw assessment had not adequately considered these emissions, requiring the approval process to be revisited. Adura subsequently submitted further environmental information under the revised process before the Energy Secretary agreed to the new consent.

The government said the project was compatible with the UK’s legally binding carbon budgets and its target of reaching net zero by 2050.

According to Shell, the Jackdaw field lies in a water depth of approximately 78m in the Central North Sea, approximately 250km east of Aberdeen, 30km south-east of the Shearwater platform and adjacent to the UK/Norway median line. Jackdaw is a gas/condensate development comprising a non-permanently attended wellhead platform with four wells, tied back to the Shearwater hub via a 31km pipeline laid in July 2024. The steel jacket and topside were installed in August 2023 and October 2025 respectively.

The government has also announced an initial £2bn for a new Energy Wealth Fund, to be established within the National Wealth Fund. It will use revenues from North Sea oil and gas to invest in renewable and low-carbon energy projects.  

Industry and energy-sector responses highlighted the implications for domestic supply, investment and the energy transition.

David Whitehouse, Chief Executive, Offshore Energies UK, said approval of Jackdaw was ‘an important step forward’ and argued that a wider pipeline of North Sea projects could help deliver investment, support jobs and strengthen energy security. ‘We import historic amounts of energy. More than 40% of what is used here comes from imports. On every measure, from energy security and emissions to jobs and economic value, the right and responsible choice is to prioritise domestic production,’ he said.

Greg Jackson, Chief Executive, Octopus Energy Group, described the decision as ‘good energy policy’, saying the project would replace imported gas with domestically produced supply. However, he said it would not lower energy prices, adding that accelerating the adoption of heat pumps remained important for reducing exposure to international gas markets.

Renewable energy trade body RenewableUK also noted that while projects such as Jackdaw could support jobs and revenues, domestic oil and gas developments would not shield consumers from global price volatility. Chief Executive Tara Singh said increasing the supply of homegrown renewable electricity would help reduce the UK’s reliance on internationally traded gas.

Environmental group Greenpeace UK criticised the decision. Ami McCarthy, Head of Politics at the organisation, said: ‘Andy Burnham promised pragmatism, but there is nothing pragmatic about rubber-stamping a project that won’t lower energy bills, won’t boost energy security and will create just 27 full-time jobs’. She argued that the development would primarily benefit its operators while adding to climate-related impacts.