New North Sea oil drilling faces delay after gear accidentally dropped in sea
📰 source: theguardian_business · 💼 business
production at the uk's biggest undeveloped oilfield, rosebank, is delayed after equipment was accidentally dropped from a rig into the north sea on 18 april. no workers were hurt, but two pieces of drilling gear, including a safety valve, fell 1,100 metres to the seabed. the rig, hired from norwegian firm odfjell drilling, was sent to a shipyard in bergen for repairs and is now back at rosebank but not yet operational. odfjell said the rig could be out for up to four months, pushing some oil wells significantly behind schedule.
adura, the company behind rosebank, now expects production to start in 2027 instead of end of 2024. the field is projected to yield 300 million barrels over 25 years. meanwhile, the nearby jackdaw gasfield could produce gas as early as october, adura told the bbc. the new energy secretary miatta fahnbulleh is expected to decide on both fields after consultations on emissions conclude in august.
the accident adds to political pressure on andy burnham's government, with unions and opposition calling for more north sea production while climate campaigners argue the benefits are minimal. only 27 direct full-time jobs would be created by jackdaw, according to an environmental impact assessment.
why it matters: accidental rig equipment drop delays uk's rosebank oil production, likely missing winter demand window and fueling climate-policy tensions.
source: theguardian_business
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