Will production from Rosebank benefit the UK?

Rosebank brings gas directly into the UK, adds oil to the wider European energy system Britain relies on, and supports billions of pounds of investment and hundreds of long-term jobs in the UK.

Equinor says Rosebank’s oil will be transported to refineries by shuttle tankers, while its gas will be piped to mainland Scotland.

The oil export argument misunderstands how oil security works. Britain already depends on a wider European and international oil-products system. The UK Government says the UK benefits from ready access to international maritime trade in oil products, with the Netherlands and Belgium together providing most of the UK’s oil product imports.

That system matters because the UK is a net importer of oil products, to the tune of 13.0 million tonnes in 2024 according to the UK Government. It also says UK refineries met only 54.9% of road diesel demand and 28.8% of jet fuel demand that year, with imports helping meet demand for both.

The direct UK benefits from Rosebank are also substantial. Equinor says the project involves £8.1 billion of total direct investment over the lifetime of the field, with 78% likely to be invested in UK-based businesses. That is more than £6 billion of expected UK investment. Equinor also says Rosebank is expected to support around 1,600 jobs at the height of construction and around 450 UK-based jobs over the lifetime of the field.

So the claim that exported Rosebank oil provides no UK benefit is wrong. Rosebank supports UK gas supply, UK investment, UK jobs, UK supply chain work and the wider European oil-products system on which Britain itself depends.