Nicola Sturgeon: Cambo oil field should not get green light

The proposed Cambo oil field off Shetland "should not get the green light", Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The first minister had previously called for the controversial new development to be reassessed, but had stopped short of opposing it outright.

However she has now told MSPs that "the presumption would be that Cambo could not and should not pass any rigorous climate assessment".

The decision on whether drilling should be allowed sits with UK authorities.

The UK government has said an environmental impact assessment will be carried out first, although Scottish Secretary Alister Jack recently said the new field should "100%" get the go-ahead.

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The Cambo oil field is situated approximately 125km (75 miles) to the west of Shetland in water depths of between 1,050m (3,445ft) and 1,100m (3,609ft).

The project, led by Siccar Point Energy, could yield hundreds of millions of barrels of oil and was originally licensed for exploration in 2001.

If approved by the Oil and Gas Authority, drilling could start as early as 2022 - and continue for 25 years.

There has been controversy over the proposal being considered at the same time as Scotland hosted the COP26 climate conference.

But the UK government has argued that despite moves to renewable energy sources, "there will continue to be ongoing demand for oil and gas over the coming years".

Ms Sturgeon had repeatedly refused to openly come out against the scheme, instead calling for it to be reassessed against a climate compatibility checklist despite pressure from the Scottish Greens, who have a partnership agreement with the SNP at Holyrood.

But when questioned by MSPs on Tuesday, she said that "I don't think Cambo should get the green light".

She added: "I don't think we can go on extracting oil and gas forever, and I don't think we can continue to give the go ahead to new oil fields.

"I have set out a proposal for a climate assessment and I think the presumption would be that Cambo could not and should not pass any rigorous climate assessment."

Friends of the Earth Scotland said Ms Sturgeon's statement was "very welcome", adding: "This is an important progression of the Scottish government's position, which must now translate into clear opposition to all new fossil fuel projects."

The first minister was responding to a question from Labour MSP Monica Lennon, who had argued that "if we are serious about averting climate catastrophe, Cambo cannot go ahead".

But the Scottish Conservatives said the first minister had "come off the fence and fully abandoned Scotland's oil and gas industry".

MSP Liam Kerr said: "By refusing to back the Cambo development, the SNP have deserted the industry they once cited as the cornerstone of their economic case for independence."

Siccar Point Energy has said the new field could create more than 1,000 jobs, and would help secure the UK's energy supply during the transition to more renewable sources.

CEO Jonathan Roger said: "Without new fields we will import even more during the transition to new energy sources, which would have a greater carbon footprint.

"Cambo is important for UK energy security, but represents only 0.68% of new volumes expected to be approved globally this year."

Oil and gas trade body OGUK said stopping domestic production would do nothing to address demand.

External Relations Director Jenny Stanning said: "While we are accelerating greener energies to help ensure Scotland achieves net zero by 2045, we'll still need oil and gas as those technologies are scaled up.

"All identified oil and gas fields like Cambo are already accounted for in the net zero plans laid out by the Climate Change Committee, Oil and Gas Authority and Office for Budget Responsibility."

Nicola Sturgeon is on quite a journey when it comes to oil and gas. She leads a party that has championed North Sea exploration for decades and once used the slogan "it's Scotland's oil" to campaign for independence.

Until a few weeks ago, the Scottish government supported a policy to extract maximum economic value from the remaining reserves. That was dropped in the build up to the COP26 climate summit.

She also called on the UK government to reassess Cambo, but was criticised by environmentalists for not explicitly opposing the field. Now she's come pretty close to doing just that.

While that's been welcomed by climate activists, it has drawn criticism from Conservatives who accuse her of abandoning an industry that supports tens of thousands of jobs.

The Tories and SNP are in close competition for votes in the oil-producing north east of Scotland.