Burnham, Rosebank and Jackdaw licences to be decided soon as Badenoch pressures PM
The Department for Business and Trade told Parliament on Tuesday that final decisions on the Burnham, Rosebank and Jackdaw licences will be made within weeks. The three projects together could add up to 1.2 million barrels of oil and 5.5 billion cubic feet of gas each year. Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary, has publicly urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to stop “faffing about” with the North Sea. The speed of these approvals could shape the UK’s energy strategy for the next decade.
What the government announced about Burnham, Rosebank and Jackdaw
At a press briefing on 10 October, the Department for Business and Trade confirmed that the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) will issue the final licences for the three North Sea projects within the next few weeks. Burnham, operated by BP, is slated to begin production in 2028 and is expected to deliver roughly 1.2 million barrels of oil per year. Jackdaw, part of the Rosebank development managed by Equinor, could supply up to 5.5 billion cubic feet of gas annually once it reaches full capacity in 2030. The government said the accelerated timetable reflects a “national priority” to boost domestic energy supply and protect jobs in offshore sectors. The announcement was reported by the Financial Times, which noted that the OGA had already completed most of the environmental impact assessments but was waiting for a final ministerial sign‑off. A small but concrete detail: the OGA’s latest quarterly report listed the Burnham field’s estimated net present value at £2.
Despite accounting for less than 2% of the UK’s total energy mix, North Sea oil and gas fields generate over 10% of the country’s export earnings, making them disproportionately valuable to the balance of payments.
