NORTH SEA, NORWAY – 2016 JANUARY 11. Semi Submersible rig West Alpha deballasting and ready for rig move in Norwegian harsh weather condition
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By Anders Lorenzen
The UK government has again come under criticism for its climate commitments as they earlier this week gave the go-ahead to the controversial Rosebank oil field in the North Sea.
It is to be operated by the Norwegian state-owned energy giant Equinor (formerly Statoil).
The government has defended the project arguing it would be less emissions-intensive than older projects and underlining the government’s full commitment to the oil and gas sector.
It is argued by Equinor and the UK government that by electrifying the extraction process it becomes less emissions-intensive. But the operator has emitted it is not before 2030 it would be electrified, which is three to four years after it would start to deliver output in 2026/27.
Strong opposition
Activists and environmentalists are strongly opposing the project.
In a global context, the Rosebank field is relatively small and is expected to produce 300 million barrels of oil in its lifetime. But opponents argue it is unjustified to approve it as the science shows we cannot afford to begin new fossil fuel projects if we are to have any hope of adhering to climate targets and it is a terrible signal to send to the rest of the world. In addition, analysts argue that the UK would benefit very little from the project as most of the oil would be processed abroad.
Oil and gas output from Britain’s North Sea has shrunk by two-thirds in the past 20 years, and most fields are declining and nearing decommission.