Sturgeon urges Johnson to ‘reassess’ North Sea oil project

Sturgeon urges Johnson to ‘reassess’ North Sea oil project

Nicola Sturgeon has asked Boris Johnson to consider halting a controversial North Sea oil project, as Scotland’s first minister said the UK fossil fuel industry should not be allowed to continue as if it was “business as usual” given the severity of the climate crisis.

In aletter sent to the UK prime minister on Thursday, Sturgeon urged his government to “reassess” oil and gas licences that have already been issued. She also called for a review of proposed projects, including the Cambo scheme, one of the largest undeveloped fields in UK waters.

The intervention by the leader of the governing Scottish National party is significant, given the oil and gas industry is a major employer in the country and Scotland relies on the sector for more than 10 per centof its gross domestic product. Oil and gas revenues were also a big part of the SNP’s economic case for Scottish independence ahead of the failed 2014 referendum.

Cambo, which is 125km north-west of the Shetland Islands, was discovered in 2002 and lies within a prospect with estimated potential reserves of 800m barrels of oil equivalent.

The project has become a recent focus for climate activists after its developer, the private equity-backed Siccar Point Energy,