Energy / Isles groups urge prime minister to refuse Rosebank development
A NUMBER of groups from Shetland have co-signed a letter calling on prime minister Sir Keir Starmer to reject the proposed Rosebank oil field.
Shetland Greens, Shetland Stop Rosebank and Shetland Climate Café’s participants have put their name to the letter, which says the prospective emissions from the oil field are their “greatest concern”.
In its reapplication, campaigner Andrea Sánchez said Rosebank’s CO2 emissions were equivalent to more than the 700 million people living in the world’s poorest countries produce in a year.
Sánchez said Shetland would not see enough benefit from the development to make it worthwhile, and that the risks of oil spills from Rosebank had “not been adequately addressed” by owner Equinor.
She said Shetland had a “long and complex relationship with oil and gas”, adding “Rosebank risks dividing our islands”.
“Some people believe it would bring prosperity, yet that belief is based on promises that are not being fulfilled in practice,” Sánchez said.
“Shetland hasn’t seen the degree of local opportunities we would’ve expected from the project, based on the expectations set by industry, whether that’s at the port, the airport or local firms.
“We aren’t seeing the benefits for ordinary people and the local economy, and don’t expect that to change.
“Extracting and burning these reserves would release vast amounts of CO2, contributing directly to the climate crisis that is already devastating communities across the world, in particular island communities.
“The scale of the emissions, which Equinor has finally been forced to admit to, is simply unacceptable.”
In her letter to Starmer, Sánchez said the project’s scale is “disproportionate to the islands’ size and infrastructure”, and that the benefits do not justify the risks.
Rosebank, which sits to the northwest of Shetland, received a licence under the Tory government.
But following a successful legal challenge, developer Equinor is having to submit additional assessments on the environmental impacts of burning the oil and gas.
Sánchez said Rosebank was a “bad deal for the islands with limited economic benefits”.
“It’s just misleading to say it’s North Sea oil, therefore it’s ours, as this oil is not destined for UK consumers.
“Equinor has said it will be exported and sold on the open market so this doesn’t benefit Shetland, Scotland or the rest of the UK.
“It won’t help with our energy security nor will it bring down bills, but we know it will devastate our environment.”
And she said Equinor had not been able to give assurances that the risk of oil spills had been adequately addressed.
“Thousands of tonnes of oil have been spilled into UK waters in recent years, despite industry assurances of safety and best practices – including off the coasts of Shetland and Aberdeen.
“Equinor cannot guarantee that a similar incident will not occur at Rosebank – the consequences of which could be devastating and long-lasting to us here.
“We are in the position to show global leadership by choosing to leave some oil in the ground, starting with Rosebank. Developing this field would send the wrong signal at a crucial moment in the climate emergency.”
The groups have submitted their objection as part of the consultation process on Rosebank, which has now closed.
They urged the prime minister to listen to the voices of smaller communities like Shetland, which they said were “living at the front line of both energy extraction and environmental change”.
Work was allowed to continue on the project despite the court ruling.
The field is located around 130 kilometres north west of Shetland, and is the largest undeveloped oil field in the region – with expected resources estimated at more than 350 million barrels of oil equivalent.
Equinor – a Norwegian state owned company – previously said Rosebank would “bring much needed energy security and investment in the UK while supporting the UK’s net zero target”.
Meanwhile Equinor and Shell have now formally completed a transaction to combine their United Kingdom (UK) offshore oil and natural gas operations into a new joint venture company called Adura.
The decision to create a new company together was first announced in 2024.
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