Rosebank
Rosebank is an oil and gas field located around 130 km north-west of Shetland.
- 61.051° N
- 3.907° W
Introduction
The Rosebank field is located around 130 kilometres north-west of Shetland. The Rosebank field will be developed in two phases with subsea wells tied back to a redeployed Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO). Start-up from Phase 1 is planned in 2026-2027.
Two phases
The Rosebank field will be developed in two phases with subsea wells tied back to a redeployed Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO). Oil will be transported to refineries by shuttle tankers, while gas will be exported through the West of Shetland Pipeline system. Start-up from Phase 1 is planned in 2026-2027.
The FPSO will be electrification-ready from day one, to allow it to be powered from shore when technology is qualified, viability is confirmed and regulatory consents are in place. This has the potential to reduce production emissions from Rosebank by over 70%. Before electrification, Rosebank will produce oil at around 12 kg CO2 per barrel, which will reduce to less than 3 kg CO2 after electrification. The North Sea average is currently approx. 20 kg CO2 per barrel*.
Court statement
In 2024, a legal challenge to the project was started by Greenpeace against the Government. On January 30, 2025 the Scottish court ruled that consents for Rosebank are no longer valid, although work on the project can continue while we await the conclusion of the government’s consultation on scope 3 emissions and a fresh consenting process.
Rosebank in numbers
- 2026 Start-up from Phase 1 is planned in 2026-2027
- 350m Total recoverable resources from phases 1 and 2 are estimated at over 350 million barrels of oil equivalent
- £8.5B Rosebank is estimated to create £8.5 billion of total direct investment, of which 77% is likely to be invested in UK-based businesses
- 2000 It is expected to support around 2,000 jobs during the height of the construction phase