New UK gas and oil projects are a ‘no-brainer’, says EDF boss

New oil and gas projects are a “no-brainer” that pose “no contradiction” to the net zero agenda, according to the head of EDF Energy.

Simone Rossi has joined a string of renewables leaders in making the case for more North Sea production as the government prepares to decide on two projects there.

He said ministers should give the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields the green light, while accelerating support for heat pumps and electric vehicles.

“It will take decades to wean off from that dependency,” Rossi said in an interview with the BBC. “So while this is happening we should use the resources that we’ve got rather than importing them from afar. For me, it’s really a no-brainer. It is not in contradiction.”

New North Sea developments would help to create jobs and increase government tax receipts that could be used to support households struggling to pay energy bills, according to Rossi.

He said locally produced fossil fuels had lower emissions than imports because they do not need to transported over long distances.

“In the UK the only way we can reduce emissions is to genuinely reduce the usage of fossil fuels at the point of use,” he said. “Over time, the only solution is electricity.”

The boss of EDF Energy, which generates about a fifth of the UK’s low-carbon electricity, has become the latest high-profile advocate of climate action to also make a case for more North Sea production. Others include: Greg Jackson, the founder of Octopus Energy; Jürgen Maier, the former boss of GB Energy; and Tara Singh, the boss of RenewableUK.

EDF Energy, which is owned by EDF of France, has about 8 gigawatts of low-carbon generation capacity in the UK, including eight nuclear power plants with a combined capacity of 6GW and 2GW of wind, solar and battery storage. It is building the much-delayed Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset.

Politicians to have spoken out in favour of more North Sea production include: the former chancellor Rachel Reeves; the defence secretary, Wes Streeting; former Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar; Liberal Democrat leader and former energy secretary, Ed Davey; and the leaders of the largest trade unions.

Support on the left aligns with the Labour party’s election manifesto, which ruled out granting exploration licences while still allowing for some new streams of North Sea oil and gas. This was provided they came from already licensed areas or fields adjacent to existing projects, which can use the same infrastructure.

Ministers have come under pressure from environmental groups as well as from Zack Polanski, the Green party leader in England and Wales, to deny final consent to Rosebank and Jackdaw after a summer of heatwaves caused by the intensifying climate crisis, and increased volatility in oil and gas prices.

Both projects already have licences – granted under the Conservative government – which means they could be given final approval without breaching the manifesto.

Andy Burnham promised to take a “pragmatic approach” to the North Sea after Donald Trump used one of his first conversations with the new prime minister to urge him to “open up” more drilling.

The government is expected to decide on Rosebank and Jackdaw within weeks. The decision was reportedly delayed until after the 8 October Holborn and St Pancras byelection – in which Polanski plans to stand.

The oil and gas proposals were put to the government earlier this year after a court ordered the developers to resubmit their applications with additional consideration for the climate impact of burning their fossil fuels.