An environmental impact assessment filed by Adura – a joint venture between Shell and Equinor – states that if the Jackdaw field is developed then there will be “300 jobs on Shearwater”, an offshore oil and gas platform in the North Sea.
The assessment adds that these 300 jobs “are comprised of the current 273 jobs for operating the Shearwater host installation, plus 27 new Full Time Equivalent (FTE) roles required for the Jackdaw-specific activities”.
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It goes on: “We expect that the 273 jobs will remain in service for the life of Jackdaw as the Shearwater host installation will require regular maintenance of the processing units and power generators. The number is consistent with the organisational structure in place today, and there are no major demand variations forecast during the life of the Jackdaw field.”
Greenpeace said the admission “contradicts years of political and industry messaging used to justify approval of new oil and gas developments on employment grounds”.
The campaign group pointed to the Conservative’s shadow Scottish secretary Andrew Bowie, who claimed just nine days ago that the Jackdaw project would “create 3500 jobs during construction, with 880 high-quality, well-paid jobs sustained throughout production”.
Bowie’s construction phase claim is also in doubt, as the Adura assessment states: “Jackdaw’s employment peaks in the development phase, having provided over 1400 jobs (directly, indirectly, and induced).”
The Conservatives did not respond to a request for a response.
Angharad Hopkinson, a political campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: “Adura has scored an own goal with its environmental impact assessment.
“After years of claims that projects like Jackdaw are essential for protecting jobs, the company’s own figures show the project won’t create enough full-time roles to fill the top deck of a London bus.
“It’s never been workers who stand to gain most from projects like Jackdaw – it’s oil and gas companies and their shareholders.
“After a record-breaking summer of extreme heat driven largely by fossil fuels, this isn’t the time for Andy Burnham to cave in to the demands of the polluters’ lobby. If he’s looking for job creation, the clean economy is where he’ll find it.”
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The news comes after reports suggested that incoming prime minister Burnham, who became Labour leader on Friday, could be set to approve more drilling in the North Sea as one of his first acts in office.
Over the weekend, reports from Westminster said that Energy Secretary Ed Miliband – who may not be in the role come Monday – was minded to approve the Jackdaw gas field but not the Rosebank oil field.
Labour’s 2024 General Election manifesto pledged: “We will not issue new licences to explore new fields because they will not take a penny off bills, cannot make us energy secure, and will only accelerate the worsening climate crisis.”
However, Jackdaw and Rosebank were approved by the previous Tory government, before being overturned in the courts. As such, Labour figures believe they could approve the developments without breaching manifesto commitments.