LONDON (AP) — British regulators on Wednesday approved new oil and gas drilling at a site in the North Sea, a move environmentalists say will hurt the country’s attempt to meet its climate goals.
The U.K.'s North Sea Transition Authority said it had approved the Rosebank Field Development Plan, “which allows the owners to proceed with their project.”Britain’s Conservative government argues that drilling in the Rosebank field, northwest of the Shetland Islands, will create jobs and bolster the U.K.’s energy security.
One of the largest untapped deposits in U.K. waters, Rosebank holds an estimated 350 million barrels of oil.
The field is operated by Norway’s Equinor and the U.K. firm Ithaca Energy, which say they plan to invest $3.8 billion in the first phase of the project.
The government says it still aims to reduce the U.K.’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.
Persons:
”, Norway’s Equinor, Caroline Lucas, Rosebank, Rishi Sunak’s, Sunak, Claire Coutinho
Organizations:
—, Transition, Conservative, Ithaca Energy, Green Party, Energy, Rishi Sunak’s Conservative
Locations:
North, Shetland, Ukraine