Shell receives permission from the British government to drill for gas in the British part of the North Sea. It concerns the exploitation of the Jackdaw gas field, for which the company initially did not receive a permit. But now that Russia may turn off the gas tap, Shell can still use the field, reports BBC News Thursday.
The field is located under the North Sea, east of the Scottish town of Aberdeen. According to Shell, there is enough to supply 1.4 million British households with gas. The recently fully British company expects to invest around 500 million pounds (585 million euros) to enable operation and wants to capture and store the CO2 that is released. The first gas is expected to be produced in the second half of 2025.
An earlier application from Shell for a permit was refused last October, for fear of the consequences for the environment. In the meantime, Russia invaded Ukraine and the gas supply from Russia has come under considerable pressure.
The British want to avoid having to deal with energy shortages and have therefore changed course. They want to produce more energy themselves. This partly concerns renewable and nuclear energy, but also gas from our own soil. That is why the British authorities decided to grant a permit for the Jackdaw field after all.
Environmental groups are unhappy with the decision. For example, Greenpeace said the decision may be illegal and that it is considering a lawsuit. A spokesperson for the action group called the licensing desperate and destructive.
