Trump Praises Burnham for Approving North Sea Gas Field

Former President Donald Trump has praised a UK government decision to approve drilling in the North Sea's Jackdaw gas field, stating that the responsible minister, Andy Burnham, is "getting it done." Trump, however, appeared to conflate oil and gas in his remarks.

The decision to approve the Jackdaw field, situated 150 miles east of Aberdeen, was announced earlier this week. Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Norwegian state energy firm Equinor, operates the field. Ministers indicated that gas production could commence by the end of the month, potentially supplying energy to millions of homes. The government also announced the establishment of a new energy wealth fund alongside the approval.

Environmental campaigners have criticized the decision, arguing that it will undermine efforts to combat climate change and will not significantly enhance UK energy security. Official forecasts suggest that Jackdaw could meet approximately 1.6% of the UK's projected national gas demand between 2026 and 2036. Operators estimate the field could be connected to the national gas network within weeks and yield gas for the next 11 years.

Trump commented on the decision on Friday, stating, "They're opening up the North Sea oil. I've been after them to do that for two years." He added, "Andy is getting it done, and I guess it's against the liberal principle, but he knows what's right. It's going to make UK a very wealthy country." Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, Trump had described the approval as "great news for the wealth and prosperity" of the UK, urging the nation to go "full blast" on the North Sea, which he called "one of the greatest and most prosperous areas of oil in the world."

A separate decision is still pending regarding the Rosebank field, which is the UK's largest known untapped oil field located in the North Atlantic off the coast of Shetland.