Warning as more deepwater drilling is approved
A DECISION to grant BP permission to drill an exploration well in the North Uist field, 125 kilometers northwest of Shetland, has been criticised by environmental pressure group WWF Scotland.
On Thursday, energy minister Charles Hendry gave consent to drill the well in 1,290 metres of water.
WWF said that further deepwater drilling would take Scotland further and further away from becoming a zero carbon economy.
BP said they had closely worked with all the regulators throughout the planning and consent process.
The announcement from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) comes only one day after a £3billion tax break for the offshore oil and gas industry.
WWF director Dr Richard Dixon said: “New deepwater drilling is just not worth the risk because we should be phasing out our use of oil instead of chasing ever more difficult sources.
“BP have already made it clear that a major spill from this well would be a disaster for fishing, tourism and wildlife, with oil washing up in the northern isles and as far away as Norway.”
But the energy minister insisted that the work would be conducted to the highest possible standards.
“This consent is very positive news for the West of Shetland following the announcement in the budget aimed at increasing investment in this new frontier for oil and gas exploration.
“Oil and gas plays an important role in our economy and makes a significant contribution to our energy security but exploration should not come at a cost to the environment,” Mr Hendry said.
BP welcomed the announcement from DECC and added that the company had a proven track record of operating safely in the hostile environment of the West of Shetland frontier.
“Ensuring our activities are managed safely and responsibly is our absolute priority – we have been exploring West of Shetland since the early 1970s and have safely produced over 800 million barrels of oil from the area,” a company spokeswoman said.
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