Exclusive: analysis finds UK will be almost fully dependent on foreign gas by 2050 even if fields get green light
Ministers will restart the approval process for two controversial oilfields on Thursday, even as new figures show the UK will be almost entirely dependent on foreign gas by 2050 regardless of whether they are approved.
Michael Shanks, the energy security minister, will on Thursday announce the results of a government consultation on the giant Rosebank field and the smaller Jackdaw one, in a move the industry says will set the tone for the future of production in the North Sea.
The announcement comes as new figures from the climate group Uplift suggest Britain will be almost entirely dependent on foreign gas by 2050, even if the fields are given the green light.
One oil and gas industry source said: “This consultation is not about decisions on specific projects but it’s about how and if we as an industry can continue to produce oil and gas in the UK.”
