Simone Rossi, head of EDF Energy, has told the BBC that approving new North Sea oil and gas projects is a "no-brainer" that poses "no contradiction" to net zero. He joins a growing coalition of renewables executives — Greg Jackson of Octopus Energy, former GB Energy boss Jürgen Maier, and RenewableUK's Tara Singh — making the same case. The argument is straightforward: the UK will burn fossil fuels for decades regardless, so better to produce them domestically than import them with higher transport emissions. The political alignment is striking. Former chancellor Rachel Reeves, defence secretary Wes Streeting, Lib Dem leader Ed Davey, and major trade union heads have all backed more North Sea production. Labour's manifesto threaded the needle — no new exploration licences, but approval for projects in already-licensed areas or adjacent fields using existing infrastructure. Rosebank and Jackdaw, both already licensed under the Conservatives, fit neatly through that gap. Rossi's company lends credibility to the argument. EDF Energy operates about 8GW of low-carbon generation in the UK — 6GW of nuclear across eight plants, plus 2GW of wind, solar, and battery storage. It generates roughly a fifth of the UK's low-carbon electricity and is building the much-delayed Hinkley Point C. This is not an oil company talking its book; it is a nuclear and renewables operator endorsing fossil fuel expansion. The transport-emissions argument deserves scrutiny. Locally produced oil and gas does avoid shipping emissions, but this is a marginal factor in lifecycle carbon accounting. The overwhelming majority of a barrel's emissions come from combustion, not transport. The stronger case is economic: jobs, tax receipts, and energy security. Rossi makes this explicitly, arguing revenues could support households struggling with energy bills. Environmental groups and Green party leader Zack Polanski — who plans to stand in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection on 8 October — are pressing ministers to deny final consent. Both projects were ordered back to developers by a court to resubmit with additional climate-impact assessments. The government decision is expected within weeks, reportedly delayed past the byelection. Andy Burnham promised a "pragmatic approach" to the North Sea after Donald Trump urged the new prime minister to "open up" more drilling. That external pressure adds geopolitical weight to what was already a domestically popular position. The coalition backing new production now spans left to right, industry to unions, renewables to fossil fuels. The core tension is temporal. Rossi himself says "the only solution is electricity" and calls for accelerating heat pumps and EVs. But new North Sea fields lock in extraction infrastructure for 20-30 years. The question is whether the UK can credibly commit to phasing out fossil demand while simultaneously building new fossil supply. History suggests the supply side tends to find ways to sustain demand for what it produces.
