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\t\tThe boss of Shell has urged Miliband to ramp up drilling in the North Sea\t<\/p>\n\t\t\tWednesday 20 May 2026 7:44 am\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\tThe boss of Shell has urged Miliband to ramp up drilling in the North Sea\t<\/p>\n
The boss of one of the UK\u2019s biggest oil giants has called on the government to kickstart drilling in the North Sea, claiming it would grant the economy a needed boost and enhance both energy and national security.<\/p>\n
Wael Sawan, chief executive of Shell, called for energy secretary Ed Miliband to approve two key oil and gas fields, both of which Shell has a stake in through a joint venture, arguing the schemes would \u201ccreate jobs\u201d that in turn \u201ccreate taxes\u201d.<\/p>\n
He also argued having \u201chomegrown resources\u201d would boost national security, claiming it was more ideal that getting energy through imports<\/a>.<\/p>\n His comments to The Telegraph follow months of uncertainty regarding both the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea and the Rosebank oil field off Shetland, which are two of the biggest untouched reserves in UK waters.<\/p>\n Jackdaw and Rosebank<\/p>\n Shell and Equinor\u2019s, a Norwegian energy company, joint venture Adura has been waiting for Miliband to make a decision about the site, after the court referred the projects to the energy secretary, following a legal battle between developers and green groups over emissions.<\/p>\n Adura was created by the two companies<\/a> to combine their UK offshore oil and gas assets, and operates fields including Mariner and Buzzard.<\/p>\n The venture has been left in limbo, after Miliband described such schemes as \u201cclimate vandalism\u201d while in opposition, with his office having delayed a decision regarding the sites for months, despite claims approving the projects could help ease pressures caused by the Iran war.<\/p>\n Sawan claimed the Jackdaw field has the \u201copportunity to bring gas that is home-grown to the UK before the end of the year\u201d, claiming it is a \u201creal opportunity\u201d.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cIf the UK grasps this, it assures a volume of resources coming from a secure field here in the UK\u201d.<\/p>\n The boss of the FTSE 100 stalwart also claimed Rosebank would similarly allow the UK to bolster its resources, saying \u201cShell is a partner\u201d that can help the government develop oil resources.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tRead more<\/p>\n \t\t\tMiliband to bow to pressure on North Sea drilling\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n \tNorth Sea tensions<\/p>\n