Protesters could be heard chanting: “Hey Andy, stop gas and oil. Keep that carbon in the soil.”
The site, off the coast of Aberdeen, is one of two North Sea projects – alongside the Rosebank oil field – that have hung over Labour after the previous Tory Government was halted due to a legal challenge.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he “welcomes” the approval, which will protect “hundreds of jobs” and keep “millions of homes warm this winter”.
He said: “At a time when people are really struggling, it’s right that we look in a responsible way at maximising the existing energy reserves we have in Britain that could help.
“We’re committed to moving towards renewable energy and reaching net zero by 2050. But even on our ambitious climate path, we’ll still require oil and gas as part of our energy needs for decades to come.”
Reacting to today’s decision, Director of Fossil Free London, Robin Wells said: “This decision is salted with the tears of every Nepalese person who saw someone they loved swept away in a river tsunami and it’s stained with the blood of everyone in Valencia who died as cars afloat in mud, sewage and enough rainwater for a year collided into their bodies in streets that had become rivers.
“Although we cannot right now hear people in Australia, LA and Portugal crying in fear as their homes and worlds burn, these are the knock-on consequences of corporations that continue to drill fossil fuels and the governments that permit it, knowing the damage caused.
“Our government must not double down on madness now. They must not lap-up industry propaganda again for the next North Sea project in their in-tray. If they believe in a future that protects people’s homes and safety, not endangers them, they must stop Rosebank.”
WATCH ABOVE.
