Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of Equinor developing the Rosebank oil field with the (a) decarbonisation targets for industry as described in the North Sea Transition Deal, (b) UK’s carbon budgets and net zero target and (c) UK’s obligations and commitments towards international climate targets.

New North Sea oil and gas fields are part of the managed decline of the basin’s production, reducing our dependence on imports from abroad and supporting UK employment in sectors vital to the transition to net zero.

Development proposals for oil fields are dealt with by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) and the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED). The NSTA’s monitoring and assessment of future emissions from UK Continental Shelf production includes all new projects. Its 2022 report can be found here: https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/news-publications/publications/2022/emissions-monitoring-report-2022/.

The North Sea Transition Deal's emissions reduction targets take into account an absolute reduction in production on the pathway to net zero by 2050. The Government's Net Zero Strategy sets out how those targets are consistent with the UK meeting its Nationally Determined Contribution and Carbon Budgets.