London, Thanasis Gavos

The development of the UK’s largest untapped oil and gas field has been given the go-ahead by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), despite backlash over concerns about the effects of fossil fuel use on climate change.

Norwegian energy giant Equinor will take over the mining project at the Rosebank field, about 130km west of the Shetland Islands which lie north-east of mainland Scotland.

The company expects to pump 69,000 barrels of oil per day from 2027 and 44 million cubic feet of natural gas per day in the first ten years. It is believed that the area can yield up to 500 million barrels of oil.

Last month dozens of MPs and Lords from all major British parties warned that mining operations could produce 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The British government, however, welcomed the decision, saying more oil would boost the country’s energy security, although the majority of produced quantities are expected to be exported.

The NSTA stressed that the green light was given after taking into account the UK’s target of zero emissions by 2050.

The issue of exploiting fossil fuel deposits in the North Sea is one of the political dividing lines between the Conservatives and Labour, with the latter having said that as a government they would not issue new mining licences.