New North Sea oil drilling faces delay after gear dropped into sea
Development of the Rosebank oil field in the UK will be delayed due to an equipment accident, potentially pushing production start to 2027.
Production at the UK's largest undeveloped oil and gas field, Rosebank, could be delayed for months after equipment was accidentally dropped from a rig into the North Sea. The incident occurred on 18 April when two central pieces of drilling equipment, including a safety valve, fell 1,100 metres to the seabed. No workers were injured.
The platform, hired by operator Adura from Norwegian company Odfjell Drilling, was taken to a shipyard in Bergen for repairs. It has returned to Rosebank but is not yet operational. Odfjell said in internal documents that the rig could be out of action for up to four months, meaning some oil wells will be completed significantly behind schedule.
Initially expected to start production before the end of the year pending ministerial approval, Adura now anticipates this will happen at some point in 2027. The field is projected to produce 300 million barrels of oil over 25 years.
The new UK government under Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces pressure from the fossil fuel industry to allow extraction despite opposition from climate campaigners and some Labour MPs. Some MPs argue that increased domestic oil and gas production would help tackle the cost of living by improving energy security, while green campaigners say the economic impact would be minimal and the climate damage severe.
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh is expected to make a decision after consultations on emissions conclude in August. Several environmental groups are considering legal action if the government approves new drilling. The Jackdaw site, about 150 miles east of Aberdeen, could produce gas as early as October, but delays at Rosebank mean it will not affect the UK's energy supply over winter.
