Exploration and appraisal
Licence P.1026 covering blocks 213/26 and 213/27 was awarded to Texaco North Sea UK Co in the 19th UK offshore licensing round on 1 June 2001. The work program included a commitment to reprocess 3D seismic and to reach a decision on a 'drill or drop' well commitment within three years. In October 2001, Texaco was merged with Chevron who farmed-down its share of the licence to 40% prior to the discovery well, 213/27-1Z, being drilled in 2004. At the time of discovery the other licence owners were Statoil (30%), OMV (20%) and DONG (10%). Shortly after the discovery the four companies were granted an additional licence (P.1191) on adjacent block 205/1. [4]
Several changes in ownership of the licence have taken place resulting in the current ownership of Equinor 40% (and operator of the licence), Suncor (40%) and Siccar Point (20%). Statoil had sold its 30% stake of the licence to OMV in 2013 [5] prior to Equinor acquiring Chevron's 40% stake in 2019. [6] Statoil was renamed Equinor in 2018. [7] The licences currently cover blocks 213/26b, 213/27a and 205/1a. [4]
A three well appraisal program commenced in October 2006 and the second well in the sequence, 205/1-1, was flowed tested at a rate of 6,000 barrels/day of good quality oil. [8]
In oil and gas exploration it is common practice for prospects and discoveries to be named according to a theme. [9] Texaco named the Rosebank prospect after the Scottish malt whisky Rosebank. Texaco also named other prospects in the Atlantic Margin in keeping with the theme including Lagavulin, Talisker and Lochnagar. Other naming themes in use by various operators include sea birds (Shell), Scottish mountains (BP), castles, rivers, Scottish dances and famous geologists (Conoco).
Opposition to Rosebank
Fears about the environmental damage that could be caused by developing the Rosebank field, and about its impact on the UK's ability to meet net-zero greenhouse gas emissions commitments, have led to widespread opposition to the project. In February 2023, a number of public figures (including comedian Frankie Boyle, campaigner Vanessa Nakate), and institutions (RSPB, the Women's Institute) wrote to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, urging him to reject plans for the Rosebank field. [12] In March, 700 scientists, including some of the UK's leading climate experts, wrote to Sunak asking him to halt all new oil and gas developments. [13]
There has also been significant political opposition to the Rosebank field. In March 2023, the former leader of the opposition and shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband publicly opposed the field and said that the government were ignoring the science by refusing to do the same. [14] In April, Chris Skidmore, Conservative MP and chair of the government's net-zero review 'Mission Zero', wrote an op-ed in The Guardian against the development of the Rosebank field. [15] Skidmore argued that the project would undermine net-zero targets and that it would disproportionately benefit the Norwegian economy at the UK's expense. The Scottish Greens have also campaigned for the government to reject the development plans, [16] and in a Westminster Hall debate in June 2023, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said that approval of Rosebank would have 'disastrous' environmental consequences. [17] In their 2023 report to parliament, the UK government's independent advisers on climate change, The UK's Climate Change Committee (CCC), suggested that the government's support for expanding fossil fuel production in the UK has resulted in the UK no longer holding a global leadership position on climate action. [18] This was reaffirmed by comments from the CCC's Chair, Lord Deben. Deben, also a Conservative Party member of the House of Lords, claimed that Rosebank discredits previous UK government statements at international climate conventions, where it has urged developing nations to cut emissions. [19]
Activist groups have also staged several actions against the Rosebank project. In May, activists protested and spoke onstage at Equinor's AGM in Oslo. [20] In June, groups and activists across the UK staged demonstrations in cities and on coastlines, including in the Shetland islands, located close to Rosebank, and in London, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Grimsby, and Cornwall. [21] [22] Campaigners have shown that the likely emissions from extracting the oil from Rosebank would see the oil and gas industry fail to meet its emissions reduction targets, which make up part of the UK's legally binding domestic Carbon Budgets. [23] The project attracted further controversy when it was reported that Equinor was considering 'decarbonising' the project by electrifying the FPSO using the UK's Viking Wind Farm. Analysts calculated that the wind farm could otherwise be powering hundreds of thousands of homes. [24]
In November 2024, Greenpeace and Uplift filed a legal challenge at the Court of Session in Edinburgh against the approval of the Rosebank oil field. The organizations argued that the UK Government and the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) had acted unlawfully in granting consent for the projects. Their case asserted that the environmental impact assessments conducted for the developments failed to consider downstream emissions resulting from the combustion of the extracted fossil fuels. [25] In January 2025, a court has ruled that the approval granted for two new Scottish oil and gas fields was unlawful, requiring their operators to seek fresh authorization from the UK government before production can commence. The ruling, concerning the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields, was issued by the Court of Session in Edinburgh. In his judgment, the judge determined that a more comprehensive environmental assessment was necessary, specifically considering the climate impact of burning any fossil fuels extracted from the fields. While operations on both fields may continue during the reassessment process, no oil or gas can be extracted until new approval is obtained. [26]
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation predominantly specializing in oil and gas. The second-largest direct descendant of Standard Oil, and originally known as the Standard Oil Company of California, it is active in more than 180 countries. Within oil and gas, Chevron is vertically integrated and is involved in hydrocarbon exploration, production, refining, marketing and transport, chemicals manufacturing and sales, and power generation.
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This is an overview of Equinor's operations in various countries. Equinor is a Norwegian petroleum company.
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Norway is a large energy producer, and one of the world's largest exporters of oil. Most of the electricity in the country is produced by hydroelectricity. Norway is one of the leading countries in the electrification of its transport sector, with the largest fleet of electric vehicles per capita in the world.
Equinor ASA is a Norwegian state-owned multinational energy company headquartered in Stavanger, Norway. It is primarily a petroleum company operating in 36 countries with additional investments in renewable energy. In the 2020 Forbes Global 2000, Equinor was ranked as the 169th-largest public company in the world. In 2023, the company was ranked 52nd in the same list. As of 2021, the company has 21,126 employees.
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The Mariner oilfield is located in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea, about 150 kilometres (93 mi) east of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, in block 9/11a. It was discovered in 1981 at a depth of about 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) below sea level. Water depth in the area is about 100 metres (330 ft). Estimated recovery is at least 250 million barrels of oil.
Chevron Nigeria Limited is a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation and it is one of the largest oil producers in Nigeria. It was previously operating in Nigeria under the business name of Gulf Oil Company until merger activities changed its name to Chevron Nigeria. After another merger by the parent company with Texaco, the Nigerian oil and gas assets of Texaco Overseas Petroleum Company of Nigeria were merged into Chevron.
Cambo oil field is a prospective oil and gas field in the North Atlantic, 125 kilometres (78 mi) north west of the Shetland Islands, United Kingdom. The field is in a deep section of water, some 3,440–3,610 feet (1,050–1,100 m) below sea level. Development of the field has led to criticism from green campaign groups stating it goes against the United Kingdom's reduction in carbon emissions. The project has the potential to deliver millions of barrels of oil and over 53 billion cubic feet (1.5×109 m3) of gas.
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