Largest untapped UK oil field approved for development amid environmental backlash
A view of Sullom Voe Terminal, an oil and gas terminal in the Shetland Islands on September 2021.
Adrian Dennis | Afp | Getty Images
LONDON — British regulators on Wednesday gave approval for Norway’s energy giant Equinor to develop the controversial U.K. offshore Rosebank field in the North Sea, just off the northwest coast of the Shetland Islands.
The North Sea Transition Authority said it has also given the necessary consent.
The U.K. government said it had given operator Equinor and British energy company Ithaca Energy — which hold respective 80% and 20% stakes in the field — permission to proceed following “extensive scrutiny by the regulators,” including regarding the environmental impact of the development.
Ithaca Energy shares jumped 7% by 9 a.m. London time, following the announcement, with Equinor shares higher by roughly 1%. Rosebank stands as the largest untapped field in the U.K.
Equinor says the project will be pursued in two phases and estimates it will create £8.1 billion ($9.8 billion) of direct investment. The company expects the field’s start-up stage to take place over 2026-27 and estimates that Rosebank’s recoverable resources are over 300 million barrels of oil for its two phases.
“We are investing on our world-leading renewable energy but, as the independent Climate Change Committee recognise, we will need oil and gas as part of that mix on the path to net zero and so it makes sense to use our own supplies from North Sea fields such as Rosebank,” U.K. Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Claire Coutinho said in a statement.
Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt said: “We are accelerating renewables and nuclear power, but will still need oil and gas for decades to come — so let’s get more of what we need from within British waters.”
The Rosebank development has faced repeated delays and intense public backlash amid questions over its environmental impact.
Burning Rosebank’s oil and gas would produce over 200 million metric tons of CO2, #StopRosebank campaign activists say, on Wednesday pledging in a statement that the “fight is far from over” and the group will “pressure the UK to reverse this terrible decision, and use every tool we can to stop this field,” as “climate justice demands nothing less.”
Green Party Member of Parliament, Caroline Lucas, echoed these feelings on Wednesday.
“This is morally obscene. It won’t improve energy security or lower bills – but it will shatter our climate commitments & demolish global leadership. Govt is complicit in this climate crime – as is Labour unless they pledge to do all possible to revoke it,” she said on the X social media platform, previously known as Twitter.
The Rosebank development approval comes after Britain in July confirmed plans to issue hundreds of new oil and gas licenses in the North Sea, despite its stated target to decarbonize all of the national sectors of the economy by 2050.
Compounding concerns over Westminster’s commitment to transition, British PM Rishi Sunak last week revealed his government would postpone a ban on the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars by five years, to a new 2035 deadline.
“We don’t support Rosebank,” the opposition Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said in a televised Sky News interview in the wake of the announcement. “We think the priority for the country should be transitioning away from fossil fuels, partly because of the volatility of the price in fossil fuels, and we’ve seen since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine just what that’s meant, not just for heating prices, but for electricity, because our electricity system is pinned, it’s matched to that gas price. So real energy security will only come from moving to nuclear, to renewables, to technologies that will insulate us from those pressures.”
Energy security has stepped into the forefront of the European policy agenda after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions deprived regional buyers of Moscow’s seaborne crude and refined oil products.
“By approving Rosebank, Rishi Sunak has confirmed he couldn’t care less about climate change. As we’ve heard repeatedly, our world can no longer sustain new oil and gas drilling. And when we’re witnessing scorching temperatures, wildfires, devastating flooding and heatwaves in our seas, it could not be clearer that this is a decision by the Prime Minister to add more fuel to the fire,” said Tessa Khan, executive director of the Uplift activism group, in an emailed statement.
“Rosebank will do nothing to lower fuel bills or boost UK energy security. ”
Geely-backed performance EV brand Polestar has had some troubling times in recent months, but its future is looking a whole lot better after the company secured a $600 million loan facility to help it keep on keepin’ on.
Despite vehicle sales picking up in 2025 on the strengths of the Polestar EV brand’s Swedish sensibilities, cutting-edge Chinese EV tech, and Volvo-aided safety specs, the company’s financial picture has been anything but rosy, with the threat of having its stock delisted from the NASDAQ looming large at several points.
In a vote of broader confidence and better times ahead, Volvo’s parent company Geely Sweden Holdings AB is backing the brand with more than half a billion dollars of fresh funding to extend its operational runway:
Polestar, as borrower, entered into a credit agreement with a wholly owned subsidiary, as lender, of Geely Sweden Holdings AB in relation to a subordinated term loan facility of up to USD 600 million, of which the last USD 300 million would require lender consent based on Polestar’s future liquidity needs. The term loan facility is available to Polestar for general corporate purposes.
The new funds are just the most recent part of a big week for Polestar – one that saw the Polestar 4 recently begin deliveries to its first North American customers, and recent upgrades to the Polestar 3 have made that car a viable V2G/V2x offering in Europe, as well. With that in mind, it’s no wonder that Geely wants to see how this all plays out.
The company has four models in its current line-up on sale in 28 countries, along with additional planned models that include the Polestar 7 SUV (set to be introduced in 2028) and the Polestar 6 coupe/roadster.
Electrek’s Take
Product-wise, at least, it’s hard to argue that Polestar’s future appears to be anything but bright. The new Polestar 3 crossover is a viable competitor to the industry-leading Tesla Model Y, and the upcoming Polestar 4 and 5 models seem like winners, too. To drive that point home, Polestar is promoting up to $18,000 in incentives to lure in Tesla buyers.
You can find out more about Polestar’s killer EV deals on the full range of Polestar models, from the 2 to the 4, below, then let us know what you think of the three-pointed star’s latest discount dash in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
SOURCE: Polestar.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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Whether it’s to keep the lights on after a natural disaster or just to avoid peak energy rates, more people than ever are adding battery energy storage to their home solar systems — but li-ion batteries aren’t the only option. The new WATT Fuel Cell uses the natural gas connection your home already has to generate power when you need it.
Technically a solid oxide fuel cell, the WATT unit turns the natural gas in your home into electricity without combustion, relying instead on a chemical reaction between the natural gas and oxygen in the air to create an electric current in a way that’s conceptually similar to a hydrogen fuel cell, but that makes use of a more readily available (and far cheaper) fuel source to generate power while producing far fewer harmful emissions than a conventional generator.
How it works
The company’s latest offering, the WATT HOME system, recently achieved certification at a 2 kW power rating, marking an important step on the company’s commercialization roadmap as it races to meet market demands for a natural-gas-powered backup solution to guarantee uptime in outage-prone regions.
This week, the company marked another major milestone by installing the of its first 2 kW WATT HOME solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) at the Edward M. Smith National Career and Life Skills Development Center, Hope Gas’ new state-of-the-art training facility in Clarksburg, West Virginia – but the news doesn’t end there.
The company plans to take advantage of the new 30% ITC benefit (a federal tax credit that lets homeowners deduct 30% of the cost of qualifying clean energy systems, which now includes natural gas) under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to help drive sales, with installations beginning in Hope Gas’ utility territory in Q1 of 2026.
“The WATT HOME system’s new 2 kW certification … validates the performance capabilities we’ve engineered for years and strengthens our competitive position as we move into multi-year deployment with Hope Gas,” says Caine Finnerty, WATT’s CEO and Founder. “With the ITC benefit, we anticipate accelerated adoption and substantial value for customers, utilities, and investors.”
The gas fuel cell can send power directly to the home’s panel, keeping the lights on directly, or perform the same function as a solar panel, sending power to a battery where it can be stored for later use.
Keep in mind, though – this isn’t a zero emissions option the way a solar + battery solution is. This is very much a fossil fuel-powered solution that gives off carbon and nitrous emissions, and the only reasons we’re talking about it are:
- the tech is kind of cool
- I didn’t know these existed
- it is objectively cleaner than a conventional ICE generator
That said, while solar is still the better solution in an ideal world, a WATT HOME fuel cell might be a better option in situations where rooftop space is limited (or nonexistent), such as condos or vertically-designed townhomes. In those scenarios, solar panels are unlikely to generate a meaningful amount of electricity, but a fuel cell that can tap into the buildings’ existing natural gas lines to provide reliable backup power if the grid fails.
That makes the fuel cell an attractive option for residents in multi-unit buildings, older historic neighborhoods with strict aesthetic rules, or any building where adding solar panels aren’t feasible, but a low-emission, low-noise backup solution is still needed.
The better question, then, isn’t is it better than solar – it’s is it better than solar for you? If you’re in West Virginia, you might be able to find out in just a few weeks. In the meantime, watch WATT’s own explainer video, below, then let us know what you think of the idea of a natural gas fuel cell in the comments.
Powering your home with a fuel cell
SOURCE | IMAGES: WATT, via PRNewswire.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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French heavy lift and logistics specialists Mammoet are living up to their name with the addition of a new, mammoth-sized, 60-ton hybrid crane from the electric equipment experts at XCMG.
The 60-ton XCA60 EV crane from Chinese heavy equipment brand XCMG rides on three heavy-duty axles and packs a 48-meter telescopic boom. Add in an optional 16-meter jib, and the big crane’s hoist height tops 60 meters – more than enough to work on urban construction jobs or shipside at port.
“This delivery marks more than just a product handover – it’s a step forward in redefining what’s possible in sustainable lifting operations,” explains Zhen Li, chairman of XCMG Europe. “We’re proud to support Mammoet’s efforts to reduce environmental impact and look forward to seeing the XCA60-EV contribute to a cleaner, more efficient tomorrow.”
Taking delivery
The XCMG XCA60 EV powers its drive and lift motors with a 170 kW (~230 hp) electric motor that’s fed by a 115 kWh li-ion battery pack that’s integrated into the crane’s counterweight system. That means that the crane’s bigger battery, in this case, means more lifting power as well as more operating time on battery power – in this model, the crane’s battery is good for 6-8 hours of continuous operation.
On sites where access to grid power is limited, the onboard diesel generator can kick on and provide additional, extended hours of operation (hence: hybrid) while offering as much as a 40% increase in efficiency compared to a diesel drive unit.
Mammoet’s new XCA60 EV is one of the first production examples of the big electric-drive crane, which was first shown as a concept at Bauma 2022, to reach customers – but it won’t be the last.
“Mammoet is proud to be investing in the XCMG XCA60-EV crane, which is another important step in our ambition to deliver sustainable heavy lifting to the Dutch market, and beyond,” says Peter van Oostrom, director of global assets at Mammoet. “We look forward to seeing it deliver real results for our clients, helping to reduce the carbon impact of projects, while increasing their safety.”
SOURCE | IMAGES: Mammoet, via Crane Briefing; PRNewswire.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
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