Swinney softens stance on North Sea drilling as oil prices soar. 18 hours ago. Angus CochraneSenior political journalist, BBC Scotland. Getty Images. First Minister John Swinney has signalled a softening of his stance on new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.. The SNP leader said that energy security should be considered in any new decisions on further exploration – which are made by the UK government – as oil prices soar due to the war in Iran.. The Scottish government set out a presumption against licensing new offshore fossil fuel developments in 2023, but Swinney repeatedly refused to confirm the SNP’s commitment to that position.. The Scottish Greens said the SNP were no longer serious about tackling the climate crisis.. Oil prices spiked on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said his military would hit Iran “extremely hard” in the ongoing conflict.. The US-Israeli war with Iran has led, in effect, to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane which a large proportion of the world’s energy supply passes through.. The price of brent crude oil, the international benchmark, increased from about $70 in late February to well over $100 by late March – leading to a record rise in petrol and diesel prices.. Control of licensing for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea lies with the UK government, which under Labour has a policy of not permitting new developments.. However, that opposition has softened since the last general election, with permission for new drilling on or near existing fields, known as “tiebacks”, being granted last year.. UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and the industry regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority, are currently considering whether to give final approval to two major oil and gas fields – Rosebank and Jackdaw.. Jackdaw, which is about 150 miles east of Aberdeen, is a gas field which could be connected to the UK network within months.. Rosebank, about 80 miles north-west of Shetland, is Britain’s largest untapped oil field – which would also produce some gas – and would take longer to become operational.. Both sites have already been granted licences, though work to begin extracting oil and gas from them has been halted due to legal challenges from environmental groups.. Energy firms have been told they will not be able to begin production at Jackdaw or Rosebank until a fresh decision has been made by the UK government.. A simple guide to the Scottish election. Full list of candidates. Tell us about the issues affecting you. How to follow BBC Scotland’s election coverage. Swinney has consistently said new oil and gas projects would have to comply with climate compatibility tests.. But campaigning in Edinburgh ahead of next month’s Holyrood election, the first minister said energy security had become a “more significant” issue when deciding whether to back new drilling in the North Sea due to the crisis in the Middle East.. He told BBC Scotland News that any proposed projects “must take i
