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I used to work in a team at Texaco Europe planning European refinery production and know that a refinery can adjust their equipment to receive a different grade of crude, so the export only argument does not hold. Also there is a carbon cost in bringing crude from the Middle East which would not be a transport carbon cost for Rosebank oil pumped ashore. While the UK needs to stop fossil carbon emissions by 2050, we need lots of energy to build the renewables to replace fossil fuels. The Rosebank oil will bring in more tax revenue to the UK exchequer to pay for the renewables, but imports of oil and gas will not.

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Sep 29, 2023Liked by Jonny Ball

"Shetland lies the largest untapped source of oil in UK waters: Rosebank. This week, the UK government has approved drilling for its 300 million barrels of oil. For context, Saudi Arabia would pump that amount out every 25 days. For further context: once burned, that will be equivalent to the combined annual emissions of 28 low-income countries home to 700 million people"

It's these well-written and often-time witty writings that makes me look forward to reading The New Stateman. It's an inspiration to many a journalist.

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