The government has welcomed the regulator’s decision to approve the Rosebank development.

Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho said the government was still investing in “world-leading renewable energy,” but that oil and gas were still needed as part of the mix to reach net zero.

(Net zero means no longer adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in an effort to curb climate change.)

“It makes sense to use our own supplies from North Sea fields such as Rosebank,” Coutinho said, adding that the government would continue to support the UK’s oil and gas industry to underpin energy security, and grow the economy.

“The jobs and billions of pounds this is worth to our economy will enable us to have greater energy independence, making us more secure against tyrants like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Coutinho said.