Ms Fahnbulleh has stressed that the final choice rests with her. Speaking to journalists this week, she said: “Ultimately, only I can make that decision.”
She appeared to dismiss media speculation about other ministers steering the outcome. “I’ve really enjoyed reading bits of the media. It’s like Andy’s deciding this, John’s deciding. I was like, well actually, only I can make that decision,” she said.
The Energy Secretary stressed that the process around such decisions is tightly controlled. Even her special advisers are excluded from seeing the relevant documents, she explained, with only a handful of departmental officials granted access.
She characterised the process as regulatory rather than political. A spokesman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero confirmed that the Rosebank decision would follow a quasi-judicial procedure, weighing all relevant evidence including environmental assessments and public consultation submissions.
