The UK’s largest undeveloped oil field has exposed the full scale of its environmental footprint, if it gains government approval. Developers of the Rosebank oil field confirmed that nearly 250 million tonnes of planet-warming gases could be released from the use of its oil products. This would vary yearly, but for comparison, the UK’s total emissions in 2024 reached 371 million tonnes. The field’s developers insisted that the emissions were “not significant” in light of the UK’s global climate pledges. Environmental groups, however, called the revelation “an admission of the vast climate change damage” the project would cause.
One of the largest untapped oil reserves in UK waters
Rosebank lies about 80 miles north-west of Shetland and remains one of the biggest undeveloped fossil fuel discoveries in UK waters. It holds an estimated 300 million barrels of oil and some gas. Norwegian energy company Equinor and British firm Ithaca Energy jointly own the project. The government first approved the field in 2023, but in January a court ruled that the developers must produce a more detailed environmental assessment. The court ordered them to include the climate impact of burning any fossil fuels extracted from Rosebank. A public consultation on the project opened recently and will continue until 20 November 2025. The Energy Secretary will decide after that whether to grant consent for development.
Campaigners warn of huge climate costs
Greenpeace UK’s senior climate campaigner, Paul Morozzo, said the new figures show “a brazen admission of the vast climate damage” that burning Rosebank’s oil and gas would cause. Until recently, developers only had to assess environmental effects from extracting fossil fuels. However, in June last year, the Supreme Court ruled that authorities must also consider emissions from the use of these products. The decision followed a legal challenge by a woman from Surrey against her local gas project.
Court rulings force full emission calculations
That landmark ruling later became crucial in a challenge against the Rosebank project brought by Uplift and Greenpeace. Campaigners won in January, forcing Equinor to recalculate the full climate impact. The company now estimates that the project will add 249 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over 25 years. This new figure is more than 50 times higher than the original estimate of 4.5 million tonnes from extraction alone.
Government faces a key climate credibility test
Tessa Khan, executive director of Uplift, said the Rosebank decision would test the government’s credibility on climate commitments. “This enormous oil field is not compatible with the UK’s climate goals,” she said. “The world already has more oil than it can safely burn.” The UK aims to produce no additional emissions by 2050. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has repeatedly stressed the need to move away from fossil fuels. Speaking at an industry conference on Tuesday, he described the UK’s reliance on oil and gas as its “Achilles’ heel” and said clean energy was the only path to lower energy bills.
Little benefit expected for UK consumers
Fossil fuels extracted from Rosebank may not even reach UK consumers. Most of the oil and gas would be sold on international markets. Experts believe the project would not lower energy prices. In 2022, the UK’s independent climate advisers said more domestic oil and gas extraction would have “at most, a marginal effect on prices.” Arne Gurtner, Equinor’s senior vice president for the UK, previously argued that “if the UK needs Rosebank oil, it will reach the market through open mechanisms.”
