Labour has urged the UK Business Secretary to shut down the Rosebank oil field off Scotland even before it begins production.

Dan Carden, MP for Liverpool Walton, asked Grant Shapps to reject the development, saying the "evidence is clear" that the world can't meet Paris climate goals if new oil and gas infrastructure is developed.

However, the UK Government is still stressing why new projects like Rosebank are needed.

Mr Carden's letter cited a UN report last year estimating that global emissions need to drop 43% by 2030 if the world is to remain on-track for 1.5C warming.

Norwegian group Equinor said just a few weeks ago that it is still working towards a final investment decision on Rosebank in the first quarter of this year.

Rosebank is an oil and gas field 130 kilometres off the coast of the Shetland Islands. Equinor acquired the operatorship in 2019 and has since then been working to optimise and mature a development solution for the field together with our partners.

Equinor believes the field can be developed as part of the UK Government North Sea Transition deal, bringing much needed energy security and investment in the UK while supporting the UKs net zero target. According to a socioeconomic study (see link below) based on data and analysis by Wood Mackenzie and Voar Energy, if sanctioned Rosebank is estimated to create GBP 8.1 billion of direct investment, of which GBP 6.3 billion is likely to be invested in UK-based businesses. Over the lifetime of the project, Rosebank will generate a total of GBP 24.1 billion of gross value add (GVA), comprised of direct, indirect and induced economic impacts.

Equinor together with our partners are working with the supply chain to ensure that a substantial part of investment comes to Scotland and the UK. A supplier day was held in Aberdeen in partnership with EIC in order to increase the number of local suppliers to tender.