Jackdaw field
Shell is building a platform at the Jackdaw field to extract gas to bring ashore in Scotland.
In 2024, a legal challenge to the project was started by Greenpeace against the Government. On January 30, 2025 the Scottish court ruled that consents for Jackdaw are no longer valid, although work on the project can continue while we await the conclusion of the government’s consultation on scope 3 emissions and a fresh consenting process.
The Jackdaw field is located approximately 250 km east of Aberdeen, Scotland, and is adjacent to the UK/Norway median line. When operational, Jackdaw would provide enough fuel to heat 1.4 million UK homes at a time when older gas fields are reaching the end of their production.
Jackdaw in numbers
1.4 million
Estimated equivalent number of homes that could be heated by Jackdaw gas
6%
of projected UK North Sea gas production that Jackdaw could produce
80%
Amount of gas the UK could be forced to import by 2030 without investment in new gas fields.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Jackdaw?
Jackdaw is a natural gas field in the North Sea and Shell UK is building a platform to extract the gas so it can be brought ashore in Scotland. The gas aims to help Shell UK to continue supplying more than 20% of the UK’s gas for generating electricity, heating homes and supplying businesses.
Did the government give consent for Jackdaw to proceed?
Yes. The regulator the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA ) gave consent on 1 June, 2022, for Shell UK to develop the project. As part of that consenting process, the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment & Decommissioning (OPRED) had previously agreed to the grant of consent for the Jackdaw project following an assessment of the environmental impacts of the project.
Greenpeace asked the Scottish Court to review NSTA’s grant of consent and OPRED’s agreement to the grant of consent. The review relates to the planning application and the need to consider not only the emissions from the platform’s operations, but also the emissions when the gas is used by customers, for example, in central heating or hot water boilers, or in power stations and factories.
I’ve heard there was a Supreme Court ruling on this issue. What happened?
In 2024, The UK Supreme Court issued a judgment in a case referred to as ‘Finch’. This involves a proposed oil well in Surrey that was approved by the local council in 2019. The Supreme Court ruled that the approval should also have considered the emissions produced by the oil’s end use (for example, as petrol and diesel) as well as those emissions caused by the oil well’s operations.
What is Greenpeace’s legal challenge about?
Greenpeace argued that the Supreme Court ruling should apply to other energy projects, even if they have already been approved, such as the Jackdaw field.
Is Shell UK progressing the Jackdaw project lawfully?
Yes. Shell has and continues to comply with all laws and regulations relating to the Jackdaw project.
Why is Jackdaw needed? Doesn’t the UK have enough oil and gas already?
Households, motorists and businesses need a stable supply of oil and gas, which remain a key part of the UK energy mix. After decades of supplying oil and gas, output from the UK North Sea is tailing off and now meets less than 50% of the UK’s demand. It is important to stop it tailing off too steeply, while the transition to low-carbon energy gathers pace. Locally produced, responsible oil and gas production is critical for UK energy security and entirely consistent with a net zero pathway as modelled by the UK’s independent climate advisors, the Climate Change Committee.
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