Britain’s reconsideration of the Rosebank oil field and Jackdaw gas field offers an opportunity to make producers finance permanent carbon storage, according to commentary by Leon Stille published by OilPrice.com. The proposal would attach a binding obligation to new developments, requiring companies to pay for geological storage of an increasing proportion of the carbon contained in the fuels they sell.
The fields’ earlier development approvals were overturned after a court found that environmental assessments had not properly accounted for emissions from burning their products. OilPrice.com says more than 150 academics and professionals have signed an open letter calling for any fresh approval to carry a legally enforceable storage requirement. The commentary cites estimated lifetime emissions from the fields’ products of roughly 250 million tonnes of CO2 for Rosebank and 24 million tonnes for Jackdaw.
Stille argues that focusing only on emissions from platforms and extraction equipment would miss the main climate impact, which arises when customers consume the fuels. Under the proposed approach, producers would not have to capture emissions from individual vehicles, boilers or aircraft. They could develop storage facilities, contract with independent providers or buy strictly certified storage certificates, using eligible sources including industrial capture and direct air capture.
The commercial objective is to create dependable demand for storage infrastructure. OilPrice.com cites a UK estimate of around 78 billion tonnes of theoretical CO2 storage capacity beneath its continental shelf, against worldwide operational commercial capture capacity of about 64 million tonnes a year in 2025. Storage developers need committed volumes to finance infrastructure, while industrial emitters often hesitate to sign long-term contracts without public support or protection against risks elsewhere in the chain.
The UK has committed up to £20 billion to support carbon capture, utilisation and storage, with a goal of capturing and storing 20–30 million tonnes annually by 2030, the commentary says. It also notes that an amendment to the Energy Act 2023 proposing a storage obligation for new licence holders was withdrawn.
Stille acknowledges the danger that modest capture commitments could become justification for substantial additional fossil production. He argues that requirements should rise on a legally fixed path towards full coverage, with independently verified, permanent storage and no substitution of temporary forest credits. Such obligations, he adds, should complement rather than displace measures to reduce fossil-fuel consumption.