HI Uplift: Jackdaw gas field approval ‘boosts industry mood’

news

by Mike Stones

23 October 2026

The UK government’s decision to approve drilling in the North Sea Jackdaw gas field – after years of wrangling – will “boost the mood” of the industry, according to Steve Robertson, MD at market intelligence firm Air & Sea Analytics.

Jackdaw is located 150 miles (241km) east of Aberdeen and is operated by Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Norwegian state energy firm Equinor.

At its peak, the project will supply about 6% of UK gas production over its 11-year lifespan. That amounts to about 2% of total UK demand after allowing for imports. The decision will support the UK’s gas supply, protect hundreds of jobs and add £2.9bn to the economy, claims the government.

‘A bit of good news’

“The simple fact that the government is now approving a new field development will give hope that further new developments will be approved also,” Robertson told us. “It’s a bit of good news for an industry that has been wallowing under a cloud of uncertainty for a long time.”

But Jackdaw has been developed with a “not normally manned”, small fixed platform that hosts the wellheads and exports gas to another existing platform for processing, adds Robertson. “So there will not be regular crew change flights and therefore you could say that it will make negligible difference to the civil helicopter industry.”

The Air & Sea Analytics MD draws a distinction between the production facilities needed to exploit gas fields, such as Jackdaw, compared with those dedicated to oil production, such as the yet-to-be-approved Rosebank field. “Oil production typically is far more ‘people-intensive’ due to the complexity of the processing required,” he explains. “What comes to the surface is a slurry of water, oil, condensate, sand and other impurities, which have to be separated out and processed.

“This processing equipment needs to be regularly maintained and kept working which means that oil platforms are typically manned 24/7 whereas many gas platforms are unmanned.”

‘Regular crew change flights’

That means the pending decision about whether to approve drilling in the Rosebank oilfield has far more significance for the helicopter industry than this week’s approval of the Jackdaw gas field. “The Rosebank field development will feature a manned floating platform and thus will require regular crew change flights over the life of the field. It would be more impactful to the helicopter business in terms of flights than Jackdaw,” said Robertson.

Located about 80 miles north-west of the Shetland Isles, Rosebank is the UK’s largest undeveloped oil and gas field. The field is predicted to hold around 300 million barrels of recoverable oil in addition to gas reserves. Peak output has been estimated at about 69,000 barrels of oil a day – representing around 8% of UK output between 2026-30. Output could include 44 million cubic feet of gas a day. The field is 80% owned by Adura, with the remaining 20% held by the London-listed British firm Ithaca Energy.

Rosebank remains one of the most controversial energy projects in British history. A final decision over its future has been left in limbo following successful legal challenges mounted by environment campaign groups Greenpeace and Uplift. They challenged the previous Conservative government’s decision to approve oil and gas production from the field in 2023.

Minded to reject

After approving the Jackdaw gas field on Wednesday, October 21st, UK energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh warned a decision on the future of Rosebank would take “a bit longer”. Her officials later briefed that the secretary is minded to reject approval, according to press reports. However, her decision could be overruled by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on the advice of Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey.

“We’re committed to moving towards renewable energy and reaching net zero by 2050,” said Burnham in a statement. ”But even on our ambitious climate path, we’ll still require oil and gas as part of our energy needs for decades to come. That’s why we’re taking a pragmatic approach to the North Sea.” A final decision on the future of Rosebank is expected before the end of this year.

Final (and irrevocable) approval for Rosebank following this week’s green light for Jackdaw would send a powerful message to the oil and gas industry plus the helicopter sector that supports it, according to Robertson. “We are talking about low single digit percentages here in terms of difference in overall activity but a big change in industry mood and positivity for the future,” he told us. “But previously it was possible that no new developments would have been sanctioned and this changes that and signals that the government will be supportive of the energy industry in the longer term.”

‘… Go FULL BLAST!!!’

Meanwhile, enthusiastic support for the UK government’s decision came from a less-than-obvious source. President Trump wrote on his social networking platform Truth Social: “Great news for the wealth and prosperity of the United Kingdom, and the wonderful region of Aberdeen.” The North Sea is “one of the greatest and most prosperous areas of OIL in the World. They should go FULL BLAST!!!.”

Developing the region’s oil and gas reserves would make the UK “very wealthy again”, he added. The president concluded his remarks with this advice: “TAKE DOWN THE COSTLY AND RIDICULOUS WINDMILLS!”

Helicopter Investor News

Bristow hires new COO for Government Services business

GDAT Global targets short-term contracts in Africa & Asia

Milestone agrees H225 lease extension with Air Center

GDAT names Joseph Kearton as CEO, GDAT Global

Twin trends power Antin purchase of HP Helicopters

Antin Infrastructure acquires HP Helicopters

HI Uplift Dashboard: Helicopters for sale

Multi engines

Total for sale/lease: 229 – one more than last week

Percentage for sale/lease: 2.21%

Absorption rate: 3.59 months