SNP deny rumours of split over proposed Cambo oil field

Nicola Sturgeon said last week that the field near Shetland should not be give the “green light” for ­development.

She has previously urged the Tory UK Government to reconsider the plan because of the concern over its impact on climate change and commitments to reaching net zero.

Updating MSPs on the COP26 summit in Glasgow, she said: “I don’t think we can go on extracting new oil and gas forever, that is why we have moved away from the policy of maximum economic ­recovery.

WATCH: Nicola Sturgeon says Cambo oil field should 'not be given green light'

“And I don’t think we can go and continue to give the go-ahead to new oil fields. So I don’t think that Cambo should get the green light.

“I have set out a proposal for a climate assessment and I think the presumption would be that Cambo couldn’t and shouldn’t pass any ­rigorous climate assessment.”

Her comments were welcomed by Labour’s Monica Lennon, who had raised the issue, as well as ­environmental campaigners.

Later, reaction from North East SNP MSPs and MPs, representing areas heavily dependent on the oil and gas industry, led Tory-supporting papers to claim there is now a split within the party over the issue.

However, an SNP source has denied this is the case.

“Because Tory politicians and their right-wing cheerleaders in the press claim there is a split does not ­necessarily make it so,” the source said. “In fact, it invariably means the opposite – as in this case. There is no split in the party over our ­commitment to a just transition. As the First ­Minister has insisted, all decisions must be evaluated on ­merit.”

Fergus Mutch, Stephen Flynn, ­Gillian Martin, Richard Thomson and Jackie Dunbar were among those who reacted.

FLYNN, MP for Aberdeen South, told the Sunday National: “We need a just transition that protects jobs, the economy and our planet. We won’t achieve any of those things by importing more oil and gas, so before we seek to place a cap on domestic production we first need to address domestic demand and dramatically enhance both our renewable and carbon capture sectors.

“The Scottish Government has been doing everything possible to do just that – the UK Government has not.”

Martin, MSP for Aberdeenshire East, added: “Robustness in our drive to net zero is essential, and that does mean reviewing every decision made that has an impact on our response to the climate emergency.

“Should new proposed fields be ­subject to an environmental ­impact assessment? Of course they should.

“It’s also responsible to review those with licences already from a ­perspective on whether they will help or hinder our drive to net zero.

“The reality is though that we still have a demand for fossil fuels to run our country – many aspects of our lives like transport, housing, ­manufacturing and construction are reliant on fossil fuels. If we reduce our domestic supply, we will be reliant on imports to meet that demand.

“These imports may come from fields outwith the UK that have poor safety records, ­countries that have poor environmental ­records, poor human rights records.

“The import of their fossil fuels would only offshore our emission – and in effect our carbon footprint would be far greater in real terms.

“Added to that is the fact that we do not yet have the low-emissions energy infrastructure to allow us to drastically reduce our demand on oil and gas – or the jobs that come with those new systems. We are working hard on that, but we are by no means there yet.”

Thomson, MP for Gordon, said Cambo should be considered on an equal footing to any other new development in terms of balancing energy need with climate change impact.

HE said: “North Sea oil production is falling steadily, so any new developments simply slow the rate of that decline. There’s no point in closing off future exploration if it only leads to increased imports of oil and gas and higher emissions elsewhere.

READ MORE: Cambo oil field will ‘cut into protected seabeds’ jeopardising hundreds of species

“A just energy transition will only happen by stimulating demand for ­alternative energy sources and providing direct support for new technologies. The Scottish Government has put £500 million on the table exclusively for the North East to help that process – the UK Government must match that commitment and also reverse its disastrous decision not to consent to the Acorn carbon capture project at Peterhead, which risks as many as 15,000 jobs going elsewhere.”

Cambo’s development company, Siccar Point Energy, says the field would deliver 170m barrels of oil and natural gas over a 25-year lifespan, ­resulting in around 1000 jobs.

Critics say most of these would be created abroad rather than in the UK and that the field would create 132m tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, needing an area of land 1.5 times the size of Scotland to counteract them.

They also claim that because the oil is heavy crude, it would be exported rather than used domestically.