Sturgeon: Cambo oil field must NEVER get green light
‘She’s abandoned the North Sea’
NICOLA Sturgeon was last night accused of abandoning Scotland’s North Sea industry after she said that new oil fields should not be allowed.
The SNP leader yesterday confirmed for the first time she does not believe the Cambo field, 75 miles west of Shetland, should get the green light.
Industry bosses claim scrapping Cambo would threaten £14billion of North Sea investment and tens of thousands of Scottish jobs.
Miss Sturgeon made her comments at Holyrood after repeatedly refusing to give her view during the Cop26 summit.
When pressed by Labour’s Monica Lennon to do more than just ask the UK Government to reassess Cambo, and to provide ‘political leadership’, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘I’ve made my position clear, I don’t think we can go extracting more new oil and gas forever.
‘That’s why we’ve moved away from the policy of maximum economic recovery, and I don’t think we can continue to give the
‘I have made my position clear’
go-ahead to new oil fields. So I don’t think Cambo should get the green light.
‘I’ve 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 assessments.’
It is estimated that Cambo contains enough oil to power the entire UK for four months, or the world for two days. Industry body Oil and Gas UK has warned that failing to develop Cambo would make Britain more reliant on imports, which would cause more environmental damage.
It also warns that there would likely be an exodus of thousands of skilled workers who will be needed for the transition to green energy.
Scottish Conservative energy spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘Nicola Sturgeon has fully abandoned Scotland’s oil and gas industry.
‘In a desperate bid to please her Green coalition partners, egged on by Labour, Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that she is against the Cambo field and the thousands of Scottish jobs it would protect.
‘By refusing to back Cambo, the SNP have deserted the industry they once cited as the cornerstone of their economic case for independence.’
Miss Sturgeon won support from environmental groups.
Friends of the Earth Scotland’s head of campaigns Mary Church said: ‘We welcome the First Minister’s acknowledgement that there is no credible climate test that the Cambo oil field could ever pass.
‘This is an important progression of the Scottish Government’s position, which must translate into clear opposition to all new fossil fuel projects.’
Sam Chetan-Welsh, political adviser to Greenpeace UK, said: ‘We welcome the First Minister saying no to the Cambo oil field, which has no place in the transition to Scotland’s low carbon future.’
Scottish Greens climate spokesman Mark Ruskell said: ‘[The First Minister] is absolutely right that expanding oil and gas is folly.’
Meanwhile, a Scottish Government expert yesterday said families would need to pay towards changes in their homes to meet the target set last month of one million homes using low or zero carbon heating by 2030.
Professor Jim Skea, chairman of Scotland’s Just Transition Commission, said: ‘People will get financial benefit from these measures, therefore it’s fair to expect people to pay.’