Jackdaw boss warns of winter fuel shortages if gas field not approved

Jackdaw boss warns of winter fuel shortages if gas field not approvedImage caption, Adura chief executive Neil McCulloch says the UK would have limited options in the event of "a gas supply emergency"ByJames CookScotland editorPublished33 minutes agoThe owners of the Jackdaw gas platform in the North Sea say it is "hyper critical" that the UK government approves production to avoid the risk of domestic supply shortages this winter.Speaking to BBC News at the field 150 miles east of Aberdeen, Adura chief executive Neil McCulloch said the project was in its final stages and could meet six per cent of the UK's gas needs from 1 October.The industry regulator is considering revised applications for production at Jackdaw, and Adura's Rosebank oil field west of Shetland, after a court ruled that both had been unlawfully approved.Environmental campaigners say this summer's deadly and record-breaking heatwaves demonstrate the need to tackle climate change by rejecting both projects.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Campaigners in London last week urge Andy Burnham not to open the North Sea to new projectsBut McCulloch said with only about eight days of gas storage, the UK would have limited options in the event of "a gas supply emergency."He said this could come in the form of a prolonged period of still, cloudy weather which impeded the generation of wind and solar power, or hostility from "foreign threat actors".BBC News has been given exclusive access to Jackdaw which is undergoing final checks and tests to be ready for production in the event of government approval being granted.The "business-as-usual" atmosphere is somewhat surreal given the uncertainty hanging over the project, which has so far cost around £1.5bn according to Aberdeen-based Adura, a joint venture between Shell and the Norwegian state energy firm Equinor.Image caption, The Jackdaw field is owned by Adura - a joint venture by energy...