Rosebank Oil Field

Debate between Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle and Baroness Curran

Thursday 29th October 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)]

Hear, hear.

[Baroness Curran (Lab)]

I have to make the same point again: I cannot be tempted into making any comment about that. The noble Earl made his point and it is on the record. I heard some challenges to him and some support for him; that is on the record.

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Curran (Lab)]

I just point out that there are some nodding on the Conservative Benches who agree with that. The Conservative Party is in utter denial and broken the consensus on that. I said before that I think it is a dereliction of duty not to address the interests of the British people on that matter. That is why our move to clean energy and delinking is so important. As I said earlier, the price of electricity was determined at 90% and it is 60% today. The Chancellor yesterday referenced the contracts for difference process that will keep us maintaining that momentum to delinking. It is fundamental to our policy going forward.

[Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)]

My Lords, a lot of the focus on the Rosebank decision has been on climate change, naturally, but this is a development at a depth of over one kilometre, the deepest ever proposed on the UK continental shelf. The remote location, depth and harsh Atlantic conditions make it a very difficult site. A major oil spill could have serious impact on at least 16 UK marine protected areas. Can the Minister reassure me that that is really seriously being taken into account?

[Baroness Curran (Lab)]

I am afraid I am going to have to disappoint the noble Baroness, because I just do not want to be dragged into any detail about the decision. I will absolutely assert that when the Secretary of State makes her decision, she will be given a range of information that I know that she will read and study carefully. She will make the decision in the round and will address that. As I said to the noble Earl, Lord Russell, those issues are on the record in this House.

Jackdaw Gas Field

Debate between Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle and Baroness Curran

Tuesday 27th October 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Curran (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for that question. The energy wealth fund is an important part of the announcement that was made on the same day that the decision was made on Jackdaw. For once, we must acknowledge that we should make use of the receipts that we receive, and we want to feed that back into the clean energy transition. It will be beneficial because it will be clear where that money is being spent. It will help fund a clean transition, as I said; it can help with many parts of the infrastructure that we need to facilitate clean infrastructure. While there will not be a direct read across to bills, it will certainly help in the long term as we establish our energy security and get off the fossil-fuel rollercoaster, because that will help protect affordability in the long run. That kind of investment, focused in that way, will help us develop the clean energy industries of the future. As we know, there is growing investment in that field; I think there is £110 billion of private investment in the clean energy sector. That, of course, will have a read over to jobs. Many of them are skilled, high-paying jobs, which is vital to my nation of Scotland but also vital, as we now know, throughout the United Kingdom.

[Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)]

My Lords, at COP 30 in Belém, the UK led an international statement on fossil fuels calling for robust monitoring of methane emissions and the elimination of routine venting and flaring. We have heard again today the demonstrably wrong statement about the comparative level of emissions intensity of imports versus our own gas. The overwhelming majority of UK gas imports—69% last year—come from Norway, where the gas production is almost four times less polluting. One of the key reasons for this is that Norway long ago banned emergency flaring of gas and has far less leakage. Given the Jackdaw decision, are the Government treating the reduction in methane emissions and gas flaring from all UK gas production as a matter of urgency? What practical steps are they taking to ensure these are not just voluntary rules for the industry but genuine, enforced rules?

[Baroness Curran (Lab)]

Does it not make a change to hear the Greens actually talk about environmental issues? Being Scottish, I would emphasise that point. The noble Baroness mentioned methane. The North Sea oil and gas sector has one of the lowest methane emission intensities globally. The industry is already taking action to cut its methane emissions by stopping leaks and reducing the use of venting and flaring to deliberately release gas. This saw the industry reach its 2025 methane intensity target of 0.2% five years early in 2020, meaning that, for every 1,000 units of gas sold, no more than two units should be released as methane.

I will take the opportunity to address the noble Baroness on this issue, because I have not had the opportunity before. She properly and understandably presses this Government on their climate commitments and the need to build new renewables infrastructure. I plead with her to talk to some of the Green Party’s Members of Parliament and ask them to please stop objecting to renewables development in their own constituencies, because that might help us move forward on this agenda.